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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27899725">To Be Loved And To Be In Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pink_Sunsets/pseuds/Pink_Sunsets'>Pink_Sunsets</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Since We Were 18 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Babies, Bottom Harry, Concerts, Cute, Cute Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Cute Kids, Dating, Evil management, Hiatus, Homophobia, Louis Tomlinson Calls Harry Styles Pet Names, Louis Tomlinson is Protective of Harry Styles, M/M, Mpreg, Mpreg Harry, One Direction Reunion, Original Styles-Tomlinson Children, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reunion, Slow Burn, Smut, Top Louis, Touring, Unplanned Pregnancy, harry mpreg, larry stylinson - Freeform, mentions of a miscarriage, no miscarriage, proposing, reunion tour</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:34:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>74,111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27899725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pink_Sunsets/pseuds/Pink_Sunsets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One Direction is officially back on the road again for their reunion tour. But this time, everything is different. With the kids along for the ride, new dynamics and even more romance- they know nothing will be the same ever again. </p><p>As for Harry, he’s just trying to make everything work between having two kids and his and Louis’ rekindling romance. But when something happens he never expected, he’s thrown and needs to find a way to make it work. </p><p>Sequel to A Long Way From The Playground</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne/Original Male Character, Zayn Malik/Gigi Hadid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Since We Were 18 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>439</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>548</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey everyone!! we’re back for another story! thank you so much to everyone who’s been sticking with me for the last few months- it’s so amazing. i decided to write this sequel after a lot of thought. i just wasn’t ready to let go! so here we go again- hope you like it!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“One Band…”</p><p>The crowd went completely wild at the sound. The show was about to start and they could tell. The screams had been loud before, but now they were absolutely insane. </p><p>“One Dream…”</p><p>Harry closed his eyes. He could do this. He was Harry Styles and he was in One Direction. This was going to be amazing. He could feel it. This was going to be the show of a lifetime. </p><p>“Introducing…. ONE DIRECTION!”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>December 31, 2020</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“We’re on it fifteen everyone!” Lindsay, their leading stage hand shouted, walking through the hallways and clapping her hands. Despite the noise in the entire building being incredibly loud and full of energy, she somehow managed to be heard over all of them. “Come on, everyone! Hustle! We have a show to put on!”</p><p> </p><p>Liam, who was sitting in the chair next to Harry, tapped his foot against the floor impatiently as he looked down at his watch. He had been doing that a lot for the past hour and a half, seeming very stressed. “Come on,” he muttered. “We have to hurry up if we want to be on time for this thing.”</p><p> </p><p>Lou, who was in the middle of trying to fix Harry’s hair, sighed. “We’re working on it, Liam,” she said, combing her brush through Harry’s curls in a fast yet professional manner. “And you won’t be later as long as Harry just sits still for a few more minutes.” She gave the twenty four year old a meaningful look in the mirror as she said that. </p><p> </p><p>But Harry didn’t even notice. “Does anyone know where Louis is?” He asked, looking into the hallway again for probably the millionth time since he sat down in the chair. He hadn’t heard from the other man since he had started getting ready, let alone seen him. </p><p> </p><p>Lou rolled her eyes lightly. “Relax, H. I’m sure your boyfriend will be here soon,” she said easily, not even hesitating as she continued to comb through the singer’s hair. “I’m sure you can wait a few more minutes before going off to kiss him good luck or whatever it is you want him for.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry felt his face heat up at those words. “He’s not my boyfriend,” he said immediately, his cheeks turning red from the comment. He looked downwards so that the hairstylist couldn’t see how much he was blushing. “And I’m not looking for him to wish him luck or anything. I’m looking for the twins and they’re somewhere with him.”</p><p> </p><p>Lou just hummed, raising her eyebrows. She clearly didn’t believe a word that ws coming out of his mouth and Harry couldn’t even blame her. “Okay then. Whatever you say, H,” she said simply, continuing to brush his hair without another word. </p><p> </p><p>The trust was, Harry and Louis had been being very… touchy lately. It was like a switch had been flicked after they had told the twins the truth. It wasn’t even like it changed anything between them- they still weren’t dating yet or anything like that. But it was like, now that the kids knew the truth about them and that Louis was their real dad it felt so much better about sneaking around and stuff. They could actually kiss when they wanted to and not feel like they needed to hide. Well, they did still hide. The boys kind of knew, but they didn’t want anyone else on tour finding out or else that would be a whole new level of hell that they still weren’t ready to face yet. </p><p> </p><p>Besides, it wasn’t like they were together or anything. Harry didn’t know if he wanted to be with Louis yet. The whole idea of jumping right back into his arms and dating all over again so soon just seemed unappealing to him. </p><p> </p><p>But then again, he was pretty sure he was falling anyways. </p><p> </p><p>It was a few days since Christmas, and they were back on the road again. Everything had just happened so quickly. One moment, they were all at Harry’s house in London, celebrating Christmas as one big family, and the next moment they were on the road touring with the whole crew and getting ready to put on their first show since the hiatus. </p><p> </p><p>And, just like always, everything on the opening night was complete chaos. </p><p> </p><p>But Harry was excited. He was buzzing with the rush he always got before a show. The familiar feeling of all of the excitement of before the show. The muffled sound of the fans screaming and cheering and talking excitedly among themselves. The energy of the lights and the mics, coursing through his veins. And the rush and hustle backstage that seemed to bounce off the walls. He loved it. All of it. </p><p> </p><p>Only, he would be able to fully appreciate it if he had any idea where Louis and his kids were. </p><p> </p><p>“Can someone call him?” Harry asked impatiently, his eyes scanning around the room again. His own phone was lying useless in his hands. “He’s not picking up my calls and I need to find him.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll call him, H,” Liam said with a sigh, picking up his own phone. “But if he won’t pick up the phone for you, I doubt he would answer anyone else’s calls. Especially me.” But despite his words, Liam (ever the responsible one) picked up his own phone. He dialled Louis’ number, before lifting the phone to his ear. Harry waited, his eyes trained closely on Liam. </p><p> </p><p>The phone rang a couple of times, probably four of five. Harry was just starting to think that Louis wasn’t going to pick up the phone at all, but then Liam looked over and nodded at him. “Hey, Lou,” he said into the phone. “Harry’s here. He wants to know where you and the twins are at?”</p><p> </p><p>Harry heard the sound of a muffled Doncaster accent talking on the other end, but it was too loud in the building to even hear anything. He strained his ears nonetheless, earning a disapproving look from Lou as he moved around again. </p><p> </p><p>Liam nodded, looking over at Harry. “Louis says he’s sorry for not picking up the phone. Allie was playing games on it and didn’t tell him it was ringing,” he explained in a hushed voice. Louis said something else, which caused Liam to roll his eyes. “No, Louis, I didn’t go anywhere. I’m talking to Harry. He wants to know-” Louis seemed to cut him off again, causing Liam to sigh. “He wants to talk to you,” he said simply, passing the phone over to Harry without another word. </p><p> </p><p>Harry took the phone hastily and pressed it to his ear. “Louis?” He asked, not even bothering to stay still for Lou anymore at this point. She didn’t even seem to care, though. “Where are you?”</p><p> </p><p><em> “Hey, Haz,” </em>Louis said from the other end of the phone, his voice crackling through the phone. It was really loud from his end of the phone, and it was hard to even hear him over the background noise coming in through the speaker of the phone. </p><p> </p><p>Harry frowned and pressed the phone even closer to his ear, covering his free ear with his hand. “Louis, I can’t hear you. Where are you?” He asked into the phone. </p><p> </p><p><em> “Ah, sorry about that. One second,” </em> Louis said lightly, not at all bothered. There was a moment of rustling in the background of the phone, followed by the sound of Louis saying something unintelligible to someone else that he couldn’t hear. But after a moment, he was back. “ <em> Okay, we’re back. I was just taking Allie and Robbie to see the crowd. They’re pretty wild out there!” </em></p><p> </p><p>Harry’s frown deepened. “Louis! It’s, like, ten minutes until we’re supposed to be on stage and the twins are supposed to be with Gemma!” He exclaimed into the phone. “Besides, the crowd can’t see them with you or else-”</p><p> </p><p>Louis sighed, cutting him off. <em> “Yeah, I know, I know. Nobody saw them, though. There was no way of that. They were all looking at the stage and it was too dark,” </em> he said through the phone. “ <em> And don’t worry, Gem is here with us. Say hi, Gemma.” </em></p><p> </p><p><em> “Hi, Harry,” </em> Gemma said happily. “ <em> Don’t worry about it. We’re on our way back anyways and I’ve got the kids!” </em></p><p> </p><p>Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair, only for Lou to slap his hand away and hiss at him to stop it. He ignored her. “Just hurry,” he mumbled into the phone. </p><p> </p><p>“<em> Okay, I’m coming, love,” </em> the older man said easily. “ <em> Calm down. This is supposed to be fun, Haz. It’s opening night, remember. This is supposed to be the band’s big night.” </em></p><p> </p><p>Harry sighed, biting his lip. He knew that Louis was right. Opening night always was the big night for the band and it was always something they looked forward to. “Yeah, yeah. I guess you’re right,” he said softly. “Just… just come quickly, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>He could practically hear Louis’ smile from the other end of the call. “<em> Yeah, okay, love,” </em> he said gently. “ <em> I’ll be there in three minutes tops.” </em></p><p> </p><p>When Harry and Louis hung up, he passed the phone back to Liam. “Thanks,” he said, passing it to the other man. “He’s going to be here in three minutes.”</p><p> </p><p>Lou the stylist nodded as Liam pocketed his phone. “Yeah, I could have told you that,” she said easily, going back to brushing his hair. “Your boyfriend wouldn’t have been able to stay away from you for that long.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry blushed red again. “Not my boyfriend,” he mumbled. </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Harry bit his lip as he closed his eyes. It was time. They were going to go on the stage in just a few minutes now. The countdown was on. In the next few seconds, they were going to be performing together again as One Direction. They were going to come back- for real this time. The band was coming back and this was the first concert. </p><p> </p><p>With his eyes closed, he could completely feel the energy coming from the crowd. He could feel them buzzing with excitement. Even without being able to see or hear them, he was certain that he would be able to feel their energy anyways. It was such an incredible high that he didn’t think he’d ever get sick of feeling. It was like an addiction- something he could never get enough of. </p><p> </p><p>And then he could hear all of the noise coming from then. They were chanting ‘1D’ over and over again. There were also screams and cheers coming from the crowd. They were buzzing, and the energy just bounced right off of them and onto Harry, making him smile. Already, he was getting on the first show high. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m here!” Niall exclaimed, running in. His blond hair popped out of  nowhere, cursing Harry to jump a little in surprise. “Are we almost ready to go?”</p><p> </p><p>Zayn popped out of nowhere as well, causing Harry to blink at him in surprise as well. “Not yet,” he said, running a hand through his hair. He looked equally as excited as Harry, which was odd since he was the one who was dreading the reunion tour the most. It was probably the first show rush as well. “We’re just waiting for Louis.”</p><p> </p><p>As if being summoned by the dark haired man, Louis just seemed to pop out of nowhere, like he just appeared out of thin air. “I’m here! I’m here!” He said, somewhat breathlessly, his face excited with a big smile. “Lou held me back trying to make me look better, but I came here as fast as I could!”</p><p> </p><p>Harry hit him lightly on the arm, pouting. “You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago,” he hissed, frowning. “You were almost late, Louis. We’re going on any minute!”</p><p> </p><p>Louis rolled his eyes playfully, wrapping his arm around Harry’s waist and pulling him closer. “Yeah, but I wasn’t,” he said easily, clearly not at all as bothered as Harry was about it. “And I wasn’t going to be late for our first concert. Lindsay would never have let that happen. You’re so stressed out, babe. You need to relax a little and just enjoy the experience.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry crossed his arms over his chest. “I am relaxed,” he denied, though they all knew it wasn’t true in the slightest. </p><p> </p><p>Louis smiled, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Sure you are,” he stated with a smile, his eyes crinkling fondly at Harry, causing him to turn a faint shade of red. </p><p> </p><p>Zayn leaned over to Niall at that moment, who were both watching the exchange. “Not together my ass,” he muttered in the blond’s ear, causing him to snort with laughter. Liam looked at them in a disapproving manner while Harry shot a glare at the two of them. Louis just smirked. </p><p> </p><p>“One Direction, you’re on the three minutes,” Lindsay said, nodding to one of the stage hands. She tapped the clipboard that was in her hands. “So if you want to do any sort of pre-show thing, now’s the time to do it. We’re going to dim the lights and start the light show in a few moments, so chop chop.”</p><p> </p><p>Niall nodded, rubbing his hands together. “Yeah, okay,” he said, nodding and taking a step towards the group. “Let’s do this.” He said it in reference to their usual pre-show tradition. They always have done the same thing since forever, and that was to gather in a huddle, put their hands together and say something random all together. It was kind of strange, but it was something that they had been doing since 2012 when they had done their Take Me Home tour. </p><p> </p><p>They all put one of their hands in the middle, while the other one rested along each other’s shoulders in the huddle. “Who should we dedicate this huddle to?” Liam asked once their hands were all in. That was another thing- their chant changed every time and they always dedicated it to something random, like a memory or an inside joke or something. </p><p> </p><p>Zayn hummed in thought. “What about this one goes out to our first group chant. In honour of  full-circle sort of thing,” he suggested after a moment. </p><p> </p><p>Louis wrinkled his nose at that. “How do you even remember that, Z?” He asked incredulously, chuckling a little. “I don’t remember any of the chants we used to do. Except for that one we dedicated to Kevin. Fly high, Kevin.”</p><p> </p><p>Zayn rolled his eyes. “No one cares about the stupid fake bird, Tommo,” he said. Louis’ jaw dropped in shock and insult, pretending to be offended, causing Harry to giggle a little. “Anyways, I’m walking about the Lion King one. Remember?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh right! ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight.’ I remember that one. It was after we had watched the Lion King and then crowned Niall as Simba while he was sleeping just so that we could throw him off the couch!” Harry said, the memories of that night coming back. God, they had been so young all those years ago. “Let’s do that one!”</p><p> </p><p>Louis and Liam nodded their heads, putting their hands in the middle as well. Niall huffed, jutting out his bottom lip. “Fine, but you guys are still bullies for doing that. I could have gotten some serious brain damage,” he said for probably the millionth time since they had first done it. </p><p> </p><p>Louis leaned in towards Harry. “Probably did get some serious brain damage,” he muttered, causing Harry to giggle again. Niall opened his mouth to respond, so Louis cut him off again. “Alright then, Lion Sleeps Tonight on three! One, two three!”</p><p> </p><p>“Lion Sleeps Tonight!” they all chanted at once. </p><p> </p><p>It was then that Lindsay popped her head out again, pressing onto the earpiece that was on her head. “One Direction, you’re on in thirty seconds,” she said, nodding to them. Harry’s eyes widened. That was really soon. It was like all that time preparing had just flown by and now it was time. He swallowed thickly. </p><p> </p><p>Niall noticed, and reached over to squeeze his arm. “We got this,” he said, smiling reassuringly at the other man. “This is going to be great. We’re all going to be great out there tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>Liam nodded. “Of course we will. We’re One Direction. We’re going to smash this!” He said cheerfully. “Just remember to have fun and that’s all that matters.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure mum,” Louis said, rolling his eyes. But they all suddenly quieted as the lights went low and the crowd started screaming. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“One Band…”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The crowd went completely wild at the sound. The show was about to start and they could tell. The screams had been loud before, but now they were absolutely insane. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“One Dream…”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Harry closed his eyes. He could do this. He was Harry Styles and he was in One Direction. This was going to be amazing. He could feel it. This was going to be the show of a lifetime. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“Introducing…. ONE DIRECTION!”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“That. Was. Amazing!” Niall exclaimed as they ran off of the stage. His face was flushed and red, but a giant smile was plastered on his face. His eyes were also wide off of the rush and his hair was windswept and a mess. Harry knew he probably looked the exact same. “We crushed it out there! That was amazing!”</p><p> </p><p>It had been amazing. Everything in the concert had gone amazing for the first concert. It had all gone through so smoothly and it had been literally perfect. They sang all the classics: What Makes You Beautiful, One Thing, Live While We’re Young, Kiss You, Little Things, Best Song Ever, Steal My Girl, Perfect, Drag Me Down and History. And then they had even had time to sing some of their own picks. They sang No Control, 18, Gotta Be You, End Of The Day and then they finished it off with Act My Age. It was amazing. The crowd had been insanely responsive and energetic, bringing the entire thing to a whole new level of awesomeness. </p><p> </p><p>“I know!!” Louis exclaimed in agreement, running his hands over his face. There was sweat on his brow that he wiped off onto his hands. “Ugh, I missed this! Performing together again- it was amazing!”</p><p> </p><p>“That was so great,” Harry said in agreement, his breath coming out as breathless. He was exhausted from performing that. His asthma (that he always seemed to forget about) always flared up a little at concerts. “I loved it. The crowd- oh my god!”</p><p> </p><p>The fans were everything. Always. They were just so amazing and always so supportive. The fans were everything and they all knew that they would be nowhere without them. And to see them again in a concert was really something that really was a big deal for them. To see that the fans were still supporting them after all these years and still listened to their music. It had been so long and yet- they were still there for them. </p><p> </p><p>Zayn nodded. “God, they were so amazing,” he said breathlessly as well, running a hand through his sweaty hair. “They’re always so amazing. That was so much fun!”</p><p> </p><p>“And the night isn’t even over,” added Liam, stepping towards the group. He looked just as wild as the rest of them, but also just as excited. “Remember, we have the after party to get to!”</p><p> </p><p>The five of them then headed out together. Since they were all super sweaty from jumping up and down and singing at the top of their lungs for the past few hours, they all headed to their dressing rooms to change first. Not like anyone at the party would want to see them like that. It was a small party, sure, but they still didn’t want to show up looking like that. </p><p> </p><p>Harry headed to his dressing room, before closing the door behind him. He then slipped off the plain skinny jeans that he had been wearing and the Nirvana t-shirt. That was probably the worst part of touring- the clothes. Management said that they wanted them to all wear loose and comfortable clothes so that they could put on a better show. Harry knew better. The real reason was because they didn’t want him to dress so ‘gay.’ Not like he was going to listen to them after tonight, though. He already had plans to buy the boys all coordinated outfits to perform in. </p><p> </p><p>He reached over to grab a pair of black skinnies, and slipped those on as well. He then found a random place button up that had a bunch of simple daisies embroidered onto it. He then ran a hand through his hair and looked in the mirror. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. </p><p> </p><p>Besides, he was Harry Styles and could pull anything off. </p><p> </p><p>There was a knocking at the door. Harry checked himself once more, making sure he was completely ready before calling, “come in.” The door was pushed open, and Louis popped his head in with his eyes closed. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you ready yet?” He asked, keeping his eyes closed. </p><p> </p><p>Harry smirked and rolled his eyes. “I said ‘come in’, Lou,” he said, walking over towards the other man and pushing the door open so that he could go inside the dressing room. “I wouldn’t have said that if I was naked. And the door wouldn’t have been unlocked.”</p><p> </p><p>Louis smirked. “Oh right,” he said, stepping inside and leaning against the door. He was dressed in a plain red polo and a pair of white washed jeans. “I guess I’m still not fully recovered mentally from that insane concert. Anyways, are you ready to go yet?”</p><p> </p><p>Harry nodded. “Yep, I’m good to go,” he said. “And you know you didn’t need to walk with me, right? The room is just a couple rooms away. We’re not even leaving the building.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe I wanted to wait,” the older man said simply with a shrug, rolling his eyes. But then his eyes seemed to catch onto Harry’s clothes and he stopped, his eyes widened. “Oh wow,” he breathed, his eyes dragging down Harry’s body. “You look great.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry blushed. He always did whenever Louis said things like that to him. “They’re just skinny jeans and a button up,” he said, biting his lip with a small shrug. “Nothing exciting.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing exciting?” Louis repeated, raising his eyebrows in response. “I beg to differ. You know what your legs in skinnies do to me.” Louis then reached out to grab onto the belt loops of the younger man’s pants and pulled him closer until they were touching. </p><p> </p><p>Louis then leaned over to press his lips onto Harry’s, but Harry ducked his head away before he could. Louis blinked in surprise. “Not yet,” Harry said hastily. “Not until midnight, remember?”</p><p> </p><p>A looked dawned over Louis’ face, before he rolled his eyes. “Harry, it’s New Years Eve- just because you kiss someone at midnight doesn’t mean that you can’t kiss them during the rest of the day,” he said with a grimace. “You know I hate when you do that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Suck it up,” Harry teased. </p><p> </p><p>Louis raised his eyebrows. “I mean, I can do that too later. But I don’t think the other people at the party would appreciate it,” he said suggestively. Harry rolled his eyes, smiling a little as he smacked his arm lightly. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re such a pervert,” he answered back. “And we can’t tonight. My mum and Robin are watching the twins tonight and would probably try to behead you if they saw us doing anything other than being civil.”</p><p> </p><p>“If Anne and Robin have the kids tonight, might as well come over to my place. Freddie’s with Briana tonight and I have the suit all to myself. Might get a little bit lonely without some company,” the twenty seven year old said with a wink. </p><p> </p><p>Harry giggled. It was very tempting. He’d have to message his mus first though and make up some excuse that he was spending the night with Niall or the whole band or something. His parents didn’t know about him and Louis yet and he wanted to keep it that way. “Maybe,” Harry caved. “I’ll see what I can do.”</p><p> </p><p>Louis smiled. “Perfect,” he answered, unhooking his fingers from Harry’s pants to grab onto his hand. “Now come on, we have a party to get to.”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>The party was in full swing by the time the pair got there. It was a small party, with only a few of their close friends and colleagues invited. Gemma and Micheal, Greg Horan, Lottie and her boyfriend, Bella Hadid and Gigi, Ollie, Lou Teasdale, Ed Sheeran, Paul Higgins and a few more people from the crew were there. The music was playing as well, and bottles of champagne were being passed around. </p><p> </p><p>Harry went around to talk to everyone in the party. Everyone ended up congratulating him and going on and on about how great the concert was and how happy they were for the band to be back together. He talked to everyone for a couple minutes, just enjoying the party. He also had a few glasses of champagne, because why not. It was a party and he didn’t care if he got drunk or not. Anne said that it was completely fine for her to watch the kids overnight, so he didn’t even have to worry about them either. </p><p> </p><p>It was only a few minutes before someone shouted that the countdown for New Years was coming on. They all quieted down at that part, and someone flicked on the TV screen that showed the ball in New York. It was almost time for the ball drop, as well as the start of the New Year. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s starting!” Lottie shouted, pointing at the screen just in time for the countdown to start. </p><p> </p><p>“Ten, Nine, Eight!” The group of them started chanting. Harry hastily excused himself from where he was walking to Niall’s brother, and looked across the room. His eyes met Louis, who was looking directly at him as if thinking the same thing. “Seven, Six, Five, Four!” Harry ran over towards Louis. “Three, Two, One!”</p><p> </p><p>Louis grabbed onto his waist and hoisted him up just at the last second. Then it was like it was only the two of them in the room. Harry cupped Louis’ face between his hands while they slowly and passionately kissed. Nothing else seemed to exist, just the two of them and the possibility of a new year. </p><p> </p><p>Once they had finished kissing, Louis let Harry drop back down to the ground. Everyone else still seemed enraptured with whoever they had come there with, still giving them soft kisses. In the background, Auld Lang Syne was playing from a speaker. </p><p> </p><p>Louis leaned down towards the other man’s ear, his breath fanning over his face. “Wanna get out of here?” He whispered. Harry giggled and nodded his head. He then grabbed onto Louis’ hand and the two of them ran out of the room together, giggling and whispering as they snuck out. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“This is beautiful,” the twenty four year old said softly, his eyes staring off into the sunrise. It was something he had never experienced since the twins were born. He hadn’t had much time for sunrise breakfasts and serenity since they had come into his life. </p><p>Louis hummed. “It is,” he said. But he wasn’t looking at the sun. He was staring right at Harry, his gaze soft with a small smile on his face. “You are too.” Harry blushed a delicate shade of pink, his gaze lowering bashfully.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks so much for all of your support on the last chapter! It really means so much to me that people who read my last story continued reading this one. Thanks so much :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>January 1, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes fluttered as he slowly came back to his senses. There was a bright light, probably the sun, shining down on him and getting in his eyes, making it hard to see. He winced a little, reaching his hand up in an attempt to block it out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty four year old hummed a little as he slowly woke up, groggily blinking his eyes open with a wince. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. And he knew exactly why. Last night had been New Years, and to celebrate, he and Louis had snuck off to Louis’ hotel suit. And, well, the rest had been history. But Harry could remember every wonderful second of it. Vividly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stretching his arms over his head, causing his back to crack. He winced as he felt a twinge coming from his ass, yet another thing to remember last night by. It kind of burned this morning, but not in a bad way. The curly haired man propped himself up on his elbows, basking in the sunlight streaming in from the open window of the hotel room. He smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a brand New Year, and it was something he was actually looking forward to. Usually Harry wasn’t into New Years so much. It was just another day that changed into the New Years, and resolutions weren’t really his thing either. If someone was going to make a goal for themselves that they care about, they shouldn’t have to wait until January first to start working. He was a big believer in, if you have a goal for yourself that you want to get done, you should have the determination to start it then- not wait for a year to go by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this year was different, because this was the year his life was going to change- he could feel it. This was the year that he had his friends back, was back on tour with the band he loved, and he and Louis were… doing whatever and being happy. And now that Louis was in the twins’ lives, everything just seemed to be looking up for him compared to past New Years he had celebrated either alone or with Niall, a bottle of champagne between them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was a year of possibilities and fresh starts, and he was going to make the most of it. After all, it felt like for the first time, everything was going as planned. And he was happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry rubbed his eyes, a soft smile appearing on his face as he did so. However, the smile soon faded once he realized that he was in the bed, waking up alone. He looked over to the opposite end of the bed, seeing it empty besides the imprint of another body in the sheets from where another body had been asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty four year old furrowed his brow as he reached over to touch the blankets. Cold. If Louis had been sleeping there, he hadn’t been there recently or else he would still have been able to feel the lingering heat. There was no sign of the older man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was because Harry had been feeling so optimistic about the New Years and a fresh start with Louis, or maybe it was because he had been feeling emotional lately, but the sight of waking up alone after giving his body to Louis caused any happiness to be instantly crushed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis had left- again. Just like he always did. It was like his sole purpose in life was to make Harry happy, and just when he was getting comfortable and letting his guard down, he walked out again, crushing the younger man’s heart on the way out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” Harry whispered, feeling his eyes burn a little with unshed tears that he hadn’t realized were gathering. He bit down onto his lip hard to try and fight them off. He pressed his palms back into his eyes again, hoping to stop the tears. He did not want to start the first day of 2021 crying- whether or not it was shitty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It worked, since the tears stopped coming without one even hitting the sheets, but it did nothing to ease the hurt he felt inside of his chest. He let out a ragged sigh, looking up towards the ceiling and cursing. “Fuck you, Louis Tomlinson,” he growled to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there were footsteps coming towards the doorway of the bedroom. “That’s not very nice,” Louis said lightly as he breezed into the bedroom, a puzzled expression on his face. And he really was there, not even Harry’s imagination playing a trick on him. It was the real Louis, looking confused but as beautiful as always. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stared in shock for a second, barely even registering the other man’s words. He honestly didn’t think he would be there. He thought Louis had left him again. “Louis?” He asked dumbly, his mouth parting open a little in surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked concerned as he made his way over to the bed. “Yeah?” He asked, walking over easily and sitting down at the foot of the bed, placing his hand onto Harry’s bare leg. He furrowed his brow in a mix of worry and confusion. “Hey, are you okay there, Hazza?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- um- yes?” Harry answered back, blinking a few times to actually soak in the fact that Louis was there in front of him. He hadn’t left him after all. “I just woke up and, uh, and you weren’t here and the bed was cold. I didn’t know where you were…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked at him, frowning a little. “I was here,” he said slowly. “You could have just called my name or something. I didn’t know you were even awake yet. I’ve just been in the kitchenette for the past little while. And that doesn’t explain why you look like you’re gonna cry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry unconsciously wiped his eye with the back of his hand. “I thought you left again,” he said softly, his voice lowering in shame. He felt so stupid now for getting so worked up. Of course Louis hadn’t left. He had been a few meters away the entire time. And Harry would have known that if he hadn’t freaked out and assumed the worst instead of calling Louis or actually looking for him. He looked down at his hands in shame. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older man’s face softened into sadness. “Hey, baby,” he said gently, reaching a hand up to cup Harry’s cheek. His hands were big and rough, but they felt comforting and smooth against his cheek. His hand forced Harry’s face up, so that he was looking him in the eyes. His cerulean blue eyes were soft and comforting. “I’m not leaving, okay? Not again, love. So you don’t have to worry about that again, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed thickly, those words hitting pretty close to home. But he looked away again, feeling the shame creep back. “No, I was being stupid,” he muttered, more to himself than to Louis. “I always do this and I just assume everything and it was stupid. If I had just-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek, effectively cutting him off. “It’s not stupid,” he said gently, smiling a little sadly. “I understand, Haz. I’m the stupid one for leaving before, and of course you’d think I did it again when I wasn’t here. It wasn’t stupid, and you’re definitely not stupid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still,” the younger man said, keeping his gaze low on the ground. “It was stupid. You can’t leave me when we’re not even dating.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t mean to say it so sharply or bitterly, but he did. And the words scratched at his throat unpleasantly as he said it, causing him to regret it. Louis watched him for a second longer, before dropping his hand from Harry’s cheek and averting his gaze. Harry hated that immediately. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. “Well, um,” he said, easing himself off of the bed and holding out his hand for Harry to take. “You want to come see what I was doing while you were sleeping?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t know what that meant, but he nodded his head and took the free hand. He had no idea what Louis could have possibly been doing (not getting ready evidently, since he was still completely naked), but by the way Louis’ eyes twinkled when he said it, Harry knew it must be good. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis helped him off of the bed, before tugging his hand out of the bedroom. He led the other man towards the kitchenette area. The hotel was one of the nicest in LA, where their tour was taking off, and therefore was big. And the suit Louis had rented was also quite big, complete with two washrooms, two master bedrooms, the living room, walk-in closet, kitchenette and balcony. And it was all very luxurious. The hotels used to be Harry and Louis’ favourite part when they were younger. It was great because it was so much fancier than anything they had stayed in before- and if also made the perfect space to cuddle and kiss in the dark. They had always used to love the hotels, because it was the only place that they could be themselves and be together at the same time while on tour. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was still confused as to what the other man was doing, until they walked into the kitchen. It was there that he was met by the sight of two square plates, each with neatly arranged food. Harry’s eyes widened immediately. “Oh my god,” he breathed in surprise, a hand covering his mouth. “Louis, you made this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded proudly, a smile creeping onto his face as he looked at the food. “Yup,” he said, clearly proud of himself (and with good reason to be). “I made sure to get up extra early to make it. Wanted to surprise you before you woke up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry gaped at him. “I thought you couldn’t cook!” He exclaimed, his eyes wide as he smiled at Louis. “You never used to be able to cook- let alone make anything like this!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was actually very impressive, and even more impressive knowing that Louis had made it all by himself. The food looked like it was European. There was a delicious-looking crepe on each of their plates, packed with fruit and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Then there was a side of both small yogurt parfait along with a few slices of bacon. All in all, it looked delicious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis shrugged bashfully, walking over towards the plates. “I picked up a few things while touring around Europe,” he said easily, taking both plates into his hands. “Now, how about we go eat these out on the balcony. Can you get the drinks, love?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, still a little speechless that Louis- </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>Louis- had made that much good food. He reached over for the two champagne glasses filled with orange juice. “Yeah, of course I-” he stopped himself suddenly, looking over towards Louis slowly. “Hang on. Did you just say the </span>
  <em>
    <span>balcony</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded, not even missing a beat as he headed towards the door that led to the outside balcony. “Yeah,” he said easily. “It’s gonna be the perfect weather. We’re in LA in January. It actually feels nice out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, the weather isn’t the issue here,” the curly haired man said slowly. He motioned at himself, before nodding at Louis. “Lou, we’re naked. And you want to go eat outside. Where everyone can see…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis turned around at that, smirking a little at Harry. “Yeah, I know,” he said coyly. “Makes it a little bit more exciting. We’re too far away for people to actually get a good look at us or make out anything. But at the same time, they could look up and see two naked guys on the balcony. Little scary, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hesitated, biting onto his lip. “You’re not nervous about this?” He asked slowly. Harry had had his fair share of nudity, of course. He used to parade around the boys completely naked, but that had been different. That was when he lived with his best friends and there wasn’t any judgement. Even when he sold his nude photoshoot for the Fine Line posters, that was different because no one was really watching him do that anyways. It was just the thought of being naked on the balcony of a hotel room, in a very popular city that gave him some uncomfortable vibes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not really,” the older man said, unbothered by the idea of it. He didn’t seem to have any shame at all to be parading around completely naked, nor did he mind the idea of doing it where everyone could see. But he looked over at Harry, and his face softened. “But we don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. We can throw some clothes on if you’d like. I just thought it might be something a little fun and exciting. But if you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shook his head. “No, no. Let’s do it. I just thought it would be kinda weird but it’s fine. Let’s go,” he said, before shuffling over to the door. He then pressed his arm against it, sliding it open before stepping out. He then stepped to the side to make room for Louis to walk out as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ eyes sparkled. “If you’re sure,” he said with a small shrug, before nearly skipping out as well with the food plates still in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They settled into their seats together, right across from each other on the little, black metal chair and table set. Then, sitting there together on the small table, it felt quite romantic. There was a beautiful view of the city from the balcony. It wasn’t too busy since it was still quite early, but the view was lovely. The sun was just coming up as well, the sunrise bringing rays of orange and yellow. It was just the two of them, sitting together alone in the serene setting. And with the food there, it was just perfect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed as he settled into the chair. The metal was kind of cold against his bare skin, but he didn’t mind too much. It kind of felt nice too. And besides, it was all worth it to be sitting there, witnessing the beauty of that morning. And being with Louis only made it all that much better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is beautiful,” the twenty four year old said softly, his eyes staring off into the sunrise. It was something he had never experienced since the twins were born. He hadn’t had much time for sunrise breakfasts and serenity since they had come into his life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed. “It is,” he said. But he wasn’t looking at the sun. He was staring right at Harry, his gaze soft with a small smile on his face. “You are too.” Harry blushed a delicate shade of pink, his gaze lowering bashfully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are too,” he said quietly, looking downwards with his eyes flickering up to look at the other man shyly. To distract himself, he picked up a fork and cut off a piece of the crepe. The food melted in his mouth, causing his eyes to widen suddenly. “Oh my god!” He exclaimed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked. “Uh,” he said, hesitantly after a moment, looking at the other man carefully. “Is that a good sign or a bad one?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good- great- it’s amazing!” Harry exclaimed, quickly getting a second piece of the crepe. This time, he didn’t waste any time in shoving the forkful into his mouth. Only again, it tasted like literal heaven. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out a little moan. “Ugh, I love it! It’s so good, Lou!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older man looked a little relieved at that. “Oh, thanks, Haz,” he said sweetly, but his smile was a little bit forced. “Glad you like it. I was a little worried you wouldn’t, to be honest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did not need to be nervous at all!” Harry exclaimed heartily, shoving another forkful into his mouth. It just seemed like it kept tasting better and better by the second and he couldn’t get enough of it. It was restaurant worthy food, and it was insane that Louis- the same Louis that had only ever cooked one meal since living together- had made. “This is amazing!” He moaned again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis inhaled sharply through his nose, plastering on a smile. “Good to know,” he said tightly. Harry didn’t notice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like, I can’t believe you made this!” the curly haired man rambled, shoving piece after piece into his mouth. “You never used to be able to cook! For the longest time you only ever made toast, and even then you usually burned it-” he moaned as he swallowed a strawberry covered in nutella, “-even when you did made that one dish of chicken, stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in parma ham, it was still the only thing you could make-” he said, a delighted sound coming from his throat, “- and now you just made this and it’s absolutely amazing. I can’t-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry, stop,” Louis interrupted, his voice cutting through the younger’s rant midway. His voice was strained and thick, and it made him stop in his tracks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked at him in concern, snapping his mouth shut. Louis was sitting there, looking very tense. His brows were creased and his eyes were staring intently into Harry’s own eyes. His hands were even clenched at his sides, shaking a little. His body was tense. “Louis…” Harry said slowly, worry starting to etch onto his face. “Are you okay, Lou?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You keep-” Louis said, before cutting himself off. He was clenching his fists so tightly that his nails were digging into his skin, probably forming marks. He let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes briefly. This only added to Harry’s concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay, Louis?” He asked quietly, worried about setting him off. “I don’t understand- what’s wrong? Is it something I said, because I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. I mean, you were a bad cook back then, but you’re good now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Really, really good-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis inhaled sharply, cutting him off again. “You can’t be doing this on accident,” he said thickly, his eyes opening to stare directly at Harry. They were piercing, looking like they were going to swallow him whole. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger frowned. “Doing… what?” He asked softy, shifting a little on the chair. Whatever serenity that there had just been suddenly disappeared. “Louis, what are you talking about. I was just trying to compliment your food and-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The moans, Harry,” Louis interrupted, raising an eyebrow at the other man. “You keep moaning, Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry furrowed his brow, now more concerned than ever. “Yeah, and?” He prompted, frowning. “Am I bothering you or something? It’s just really good, Louis, and I thought that you would want me to tell you that I liked it. But if I’m bothering you or something, you can just say something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a second, before Louis let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, Hazza!” He laughed, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “You’re the cutest. You’re not bothering me, love. The opposite, actually.” Harry was still confused. He opened his mouth to respond, before Louis scooched his chair up and stood upwards, revealing his bottom half. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes lowered, before widening. “Oh!” He squeaked, his eyes landing on semi that Louis was now sporting. His dick was sticking outward, pink and pulsing. The sight of it caught Harry off guard, causing his eyes to lock onto the dick while his mouth fell open in shock. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smirked. “What do you say, love?” He asked teasingly, taking a step closer to Harry. “Have it in you to go for round two?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t even respond. Instead he jumped up, nearly tripping as he threw himself at Louis. He then grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him back inside. He didn’t think he had moved so fast towards the bedroom in years as he did just then, Louis letting out a trail of ringing laughs as they went. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was now lunchtime as Harry and Louis decided to pack it up and go find the twins. Harry had felt bad for leaving them alone with Anne and Robin for so long, and had wanted to go back and see them ever since finishing up with Louis. So now he and the other man were heading back to get them and spend the rest of the day together. It was the least Harry could do after feeling like he ditched them on New Years Eve for sex (which he kind of didn’t since they had been sleeping long before he left.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pushed open the hotel door to his room, only to see Allie and Robbie both sitting on the floor. Allie was dressed in a little summer dress with sunflowers on it (one that Anne got her for Christmas) while Robbie was wearing a light blue polo shirt (that Robin had a matching one of that he also happened to be wearing.) The two of them were watching Friends on the TV, practically glued to the screen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn’t even look up when Harry walked in, too engrossed by the show. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Harry said with a small frown, heading over towards the two of them. “You’re not supposed to be watching this show. It’s too old for you two.” He reached for the remote to turn it off, causing the kids to start pouting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie jutted out her bottom lip. “No, don’t turn it off, daddy!” She whined, trying to block the TV in an effort to stop her father from turning it off. Clearly she wasn’t very experienced with technology or TV remotes to know that it wouldn’t do anything. “We like it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you can watch it when you’re older,” the curly haired singer said, pressing on the remote to  turn the TV off. The two of them whined as it happened. “Uh, mum? Did you know that they were watching Friends?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne walked in from where she had been cleaning dishes in the kitchen. “Well, yeah,” she said with a small shrug. “I didn’t think it was an issue. You used to always watch that show when you were younger. Couldn’t make you stop watching it when you were a kid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was a teenager, mum,” Harry said with a small frown. “I was twelve when I started watching that show. They’re five. And there are so many dirty jokes in that show…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dirty jokes?” Robbie repeated, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “Isn’t that what you call all of uncle Niall’s funny jokes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes- no. No that’s not…” the twenty four year old said slowly. “That’s what uncle Niall’s jokes are. And those one’s aren’t funny.” Robbie nodded at that, but frowned nonetheless, clearly confused still but opting not to say anything else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. “Hey everyone,” he said, waving his hand at them somewhat awkwardly. Allie and Robbie’s heads both snapped upwards at that, noticing him for the first time. Their eyes suddenly widened and they immediately launched themselves forward. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“LOU!” The two of them shouted, throwing themselves into his arms. Louis smiled brightly, leaning down to grab the two of them into a big hug, lifting them off of the ground and everything. Allie and Robbie both latched themselves onto him instantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We missed you!” Allie said brightly, burrowing her face into his neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! And we saw you on the stage singing with daddy last night!” He added on happily. The two of them then went on the ramble about the concert as if Louis hadn’t been there, telling him about every detail that they saw. And Louis just went with the flow of it, pretending to be shocked and surprised at certain parts while he listened intently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It really was cute. The twins had been even closer to Louis since they told them the truth about him and Harry. They kind of treated him like a real father (which was saying something considering that they had basically been doing that even before they told them.) But now they were so close with Louis, and Harry found it absolutely adorable. It was just nice for him to see two halves of his world coming together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small nudge to the side brought him back to reality. Anne was looking at him, a knowing expression on her face. “You’re smiling,” she pointed out, a small smile on her own face. “He’s really good with them, isn’t he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hadn’t even realized that he had been smiling until she pointed it out. “Uh, yeah. He really is,” he said softly, coming back to his senses. He looked back over at the kids and the other man, feeling his heart swell. “They love him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne hummed, watching the three of them as well. She smiled softly. “You told them the truth, didn’t you?” She asked softly. Harry turned to look at her in surprise, his mouth hanging open a little. Anne looked over at him, and let out a small, ringing laugh. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, dear! Your mother knows everything,” she said merrily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pouted. “Not everything,” he mumbled childishly. “And I can’t believe you found out before I could tell you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Harry. I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she said, looking at him meaningfully. She then lowered her voice, so that only Harry could hear. “You’re just lucky Robin isn’t as good at picking up these things as me. I’m sure you wouldn’t want him knowing what you and a certain Tomlinson were up to last night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The curly haired man choked on the air in his lungs for a second. He sputtered, his face turning a bright shade of red as his skin burned. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?” He gasped, his eyes bugging out of his head in pure shock and embarrassment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Mum!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Anne just shrugged. “Mother’s instinct,” she said easily. “And don’t make it so obvious next time. I don’t want to know about the two of you doing that. You used protection, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes widened. This was just getting worse and worse. “Mum, stop,” he hissed, his eyes flickering over to Louis, who thankfully hadn’t realized what was going on between the two of them, too preoccupied with the twins. “I’m not talking to you about this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry, I just need to make sure the two of you are being safe. I don’t want to find out that you forgot about protection in nine months if another baby Tomlinson decides to pop out. Remember Harry, accidents do happen which is why it’s always important to be safe. Better safe than sorry is what I always say,” the woman said pointedly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Throughout her speech, Harry had only turned redder and redder. “Mum, stop. We used protection, alright?” He hissed, the embarrassment becoming too much already. “Now Louis and I are going to take the twins out to get ice cream or something. You and Robin can come too if you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne smiled, reaching up to pat him on the cheek. “We’re fine, love. Thanks for asking. We’ll see you all when you get back,” she said sweetly. “Now I’m going to go say hello to my baby’s baby-daddy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you even know that word?!” Harry exclaimed in surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Anne just winked at him, before walking over towards Louis. She pulled him into a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She then whispered something into Louis’ ear, which made his eyes widen. He nodded his head hastily at whatever she said, turning a few shades redder. He looked over towards Harry, before looking back at Anne and nodding. He looked petrified of the smaller woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry cleared his throat. “Okay, we’re gonna go,” he said hastily, walking over and grabbing Robbie’s hand in one of his hands while the other tugged at Louis’ bicep. “Tell Robin we said hi and that we’ll be back later.” He then started tugging them towards the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne smiled. “Bye loves,” she said merrily, as if nothing had just happened. Harry didn’t think he pulled the four of them out of the room any quicker. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He looked down at the crowd that was now fighting to get to the front of the stage. It was like at a concert when the fans would reach out to him while he performed. Only difference was this time they were reaching up to slip bills into his waistband. He knelt down close to them, unbuttoning his jeans and dropping them a little to reveal a black thong clinging to his hips. They went even wilder at that, jumping up and down to both cop a feel and pass him bills. He felt like a proper stripper.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks again to everyone who’s been reading this story so far, it’s means so much to me!! Anyways, here’s a little bit of spice for this chapter, not much of a plot but a whole lot of excitement. </p><p>I promise the important stuff is coming soon. Meanwhile, enjoy this :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>January 4, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was just a normal Monday for Harry. After doing two shows in LA, they had travelled over to New York. This time however, they had made sure to get a private jet. After the last time everyone travelled together, there was no way he was going to do that again. So they had gotten their own plane for just the twelve of them to fly on. That was it was just Harry, Louis, Niall, Liam, Zayn, Gigi, Ollie, Freddie, Bear, Christle, Allie and Robbie who were together. Freddie had joined the tour again for the next few days since it was officially Louis’ turn with him (though Harry suspected he would try to keep him even longer.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had gone over to New York for the next few shows. For some reason, the way they were touring included going to all the major cities first. It wasn’t in travel order for convenience, which was odd. Harry didn’t like that part because it meant longer flights more often. And lately he had been getting airsick, which had almost never happened before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they were now all on the plane, having a good time all things considered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything was calm for the moment. Freddie, Christle and Robbie were occupied watching The Bee Movie on a small screen, all of them strapped into their seats together. Their eyes were spread open wide, trained on the TV. They looked like they were being hypnotized by the movie. Meanwhile, Allie was trying to teach Bear how to braid hair, and they were practicing on a sleeping Niall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While the kids were entertaining themselves, the grown ups all seemed to be doing their own thing. Liam was reading a magazine of some sort that he had picked up before they got on the plane, talking animatedly to Ollie about it. Ollie seemed to be half listening, with one ear free and the other ear listening to music coming in from a single airpod. It sounded like some kind of RnB type music. Niall was sleeping, the two kids playing with his hair as he snored soundly, Harry had always envied his ability to sleep through anything. Zayn and Gigi were nowhere to be found, but Harry suspected they were in the back somewhere getting it on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there was Louis, who was sitting beside Harry. He had the outside seat, since he knew how much the curly haired man liked the window seat and being able to see the clouds. Plus, he was kind of scared of being up so high (though he’d never admit it.) He had his computer open in front of him, airpods connected to them, while he did some work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And finally, there was Harry, who was not having nearly as good a time as everyone else seemed to be having. He was barely sitting still, since everything felt uncomfortable. He tried to read or watch a show, but that only resulted in him feeling nauseous. Then he tried to sleep, but every way he turned just felt more and more uncomfortable. The only thing he seemed able to do was throw his airpods in and listen to some soft music. That had worked for a little while. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But soon, even the music wasn’t helping either. It just started giving him a headache and bothering him even more. He took the earpieces out, before putting them back into the case, letting out a long exhale. He could feel every small movement the plane made, and it was making his stomach cramp uncomfortably. He felt very nauseous, and closed his eyes to try and fight it off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry never got plane sick. Like, never. They traveled a lot as a band, and just as much when he had been on solo tours, flying back and forth from places all the time. And Harry had never felt very motion sick when they flew, which was why it was strange. He wasn’t the type to usually feel sick while on crazy rollercoasters, let alone when they were on a smooth, turbulence-free, plane ride. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But there he was, feeling like he could keel over and puke at any second. His insides were twisting themselves into knots inside of him, and it felt like his stomach was contracting into itself. He hated the feeling of being sick, even more when he couldn’t do anything about it. His hands clenched over his chair, trying to fight the feeling of sickness away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He jumped when someone touched his arm. “Hey,” Louis said, looking at him in concern. His computer was pushed to the side, no longer important, as he looked at the other man worriedly. His forehead was creased in concern as he watched him carefully. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed, closing his eyes again to try and fight it away, feeling it rising up in his stomach. “Feel sick,” he muttered simply, clenching his jaw tightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked at him in concern, his brows creasing even more. “You feel sick?” He asked, more worried now as he moved closer to the other man. He reached a hand out to feel his forehead. “Why do you feel sick? Was it something you ate? Or are you getting plane sick? You don’t feel warm to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The curly haired man didn’t answer, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose. “Plane sick,” he said tightly, the bile starting to rise up in his stomach again. It started creeping up his throat, and he knew that he was out of time. He fumbled around for his seatbelt. “I gotta go,” he said urgently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ eyes widened as the other man ripped himself out of the seat and tried to crawl over him. “Woah, Haz,” he said as Harry sat on his lap and swung his legs over the side to escape the row of seats. Harry didn’t stop, however, until he was practically running down the aisle. “Harry!?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry clasped a hand over top of his mouth as he ran towards the other end of the plane, not bothering to answer or even turn around at the sound of Louis’ calls. He could feel the puke starting to come up, and he was determined to at least try to make it to the washroom. He ran down the plane, until he got to the small washroom doors. He then flung them open without a second thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And there was Zayn and Gigi. Zayn had both of his hands pressed against the wall, pinning Gigi to the back of it. They were both almost completely naked, but thankfully Zayn had his back to Harry so that Gigi was almost completely covered by her larger fiancee. But they both jumped when the door was thrown open. Their heads snapped over at the same time, their eyes widening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry!” Zayn yelped in shock, fumbling as he tried to shield both himself and Gigi at the same time. His face was bright red and his eyes were bugging out of his head. It was clear that the two of them had been right in the middle of it, since they both looked completely flustered and turned on. “Get the fuck out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t even have the chance to say anything, let alone move, before the puke came up. He had just enough time to hold out his arms from stopping them from coming any closer, before his stomach was lurching and he was doubling over. His hands both clutched at his stomach while he leaned over himself. It was barely even a split second before he was retching, the puke expelling from his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit!” Zayn exclaimed, jumping back once his friend started puking. His eyes widened, still completely caught off guard by the entire thing to actually move any closer. Gigi on the other hand, reached down to grab onto her clothes and pull a sweater overtop of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A moment later, Louis was rushing into the room as well. His eyes widened at the sight of the younger man. “Shit, Hazza,” he muttered, stepping over to the younger man and pulling his hair out of his face as he continued to puke onto the ground next to the doorway. “There you go, love. Just get it you, yeah? You’re fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is everyone coming in here?” Zayn commented, wrinkling his nose as he grabbed a pair of boxers, sliding them up his leg while Gigi finished getting dressed next to him. “We were kind of in the middle of something in here. Something we wanted to do in </span>
  <em>
    <span>private.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut it, Zayn. Hazza’s sick. Besides, if you really wanted it to be in private, you would have locked the door,” the Doncaster snapped back at him. Zayn blinked in surprise, opening his mouth to respond, but Louis beat him to it. “You’re doing great, love. Just let it out and you’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like Louis’ words were magic, Harry felt the puke start to subside. He puke once more, a small spout of bile hitting the ground, and then he was done. He just groaned, folding forward completely, being too tired and weak to hold himself up again. “M’ done,” he groaned, closing his eyes tiredly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis grimaced in sympathy, rubbing him on the back. “Sorry about that, baby. You did good. Want me to carry you back to the seats?” He offered softly. Harry didn’t respond or move, just nodded his head and let out a soft groan of pain. Louis bent down and picked him up, hoisting Harry up so that he was clinging to the older man’s front like a koala, with his legs hooked around his waist. Louis pressed a gentle kiss to his temple, before turning to Zayn and Gigi. “Sorry for killing the mood. Please continue. And make sure to lock the door this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He then closed the door on the two adults’ shocked faces, before walking out with Harry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Harry felt better when they landed. It was strange. It was like right after they landed and were on solid ground, all the nausea he had felt before just disappeared. He actually felt more than alright- he felt great. Even well enough to go to the party that he and the boys had scheduled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They hopped off of the plane and checked into the hotel rooms that they had reserved. They reserved the entire top floor of the building, which was full of suits, for all of the boys to take. Harry didn’t even need all that space, since the twins were staying with Gemma and her family that night (Harry was going to be out and he needed her to watch them.) So he had the entire room to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t there for long, though. It was already getting dark when they landed, since it was January and they were in New York (which meant it got darker faster), so the twins went off to Gemma’s room almost as soon as they got to the hotel. Then Harry went to his own room to get ready to go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know exactly where they were going for the party- Niall had planned it himself. He didn’t know what sort of thing he was dressing for. But, knowing it was Niall, he knew that he should probably dress for something not too formal. It was most likely a bar or something, since that was his go-to sort of place. Plus, he had told them to ‘dress up’ and said it with a small giggle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Harry opted to dress for Niall’s type of ‘party.’ He grabbed his skinniest skinny jeans and slipped those on. It was a little bit of a struggle since they were practically painted onto his legs, but he managed to pull them up to his waist. He then rummaged around in his bag a little until he found the shirt he had been looking for. He then pulled it out and slipped it on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shirt was one of his favourites. It was a short sleeved button up at first glance, but Harry knew that it was more than that. The shirt was completely sheer, so much so that you could see each of his tattoos and toned stomach underneath it. The shirt was also tight- tighter than his usual shirt. It hugged at his curves perfectly, making his waist look even slimmer. It was perfect for whatever Niall had planned. Plus, he felt hot in it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just for good measure, Harry slipped a coat on as well. It was long enough to conceal the shirt. Might as well keep it a secret until they got there and then he could reveal it. Yes, he was dramatic like that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He checked himself once over in the mirror again, making sure he looked great. He ran his brush through his curls again to tame it, and checked his outfit. It looked fine to him, so he decided that it was good to go out in. With one final once over of himself, he nodded in approval, before heading out of the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Niall, where are we going?” Liam asked, staring out of the car window. It was pouring down rain, coming down and making little trails along the glass window. It looked cold outside, even though it was warm in the car. Perfect New York weather for a night on the town. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall huffed from where he was driving the car. “I told you, it’s a surprise,” he said for probably the millionth time since they had gotten into the car that night. They had been driving for what felt like hours (though it was probably only one hour tops), and everyone was getting antsy from being cooped up in the car for so long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even Zayn, who was the patient one of the group, was getting annoyed. “Please tell me we’re almost there,” he whined, shuffling around in his seat to try and get closer to the window. He was in the backseat, pressed up against Harry. “H is sweating buckets over here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s hot in here!” argued Harry, pouting a little as he scooched away from Zayn, kind of insulted by that. “It’s not my fault that Niall broke the heat within minutes of renting this car.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No wonder you’re sweating, Harry, you’re still wearing your coat,” Liam pointed out, tugging at the fabric of his coat that he was still wearing over top of his shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Harry snatched his arm away from Liam’s hands, pulling the coat tighter around himself. “No, I don’t wanna take it off,” he argued, sounding a lot like a stubborn child. To be fair, he was being stubborn. It was burning up in the car and the coat was not helping. He was probably going to overheat in that coat but he didn’t care- he needed it on for the grand reveal for when they got to wherever they were going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked back from where he was sitting in the passenger seat. “Let him wear the coat if he wants,” he commented offhandedly. “It’s a nice coat, Haz.” Harry shot him a grateful smile. Louis really was the right person to always have on your side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Zayn just rolled his eyes. “You’re being stupid, H,” he said, reaching over to grab onto the coat as well. “You’re going to overheat and die in this car because you're so stubborn about your clothes. Take the stupid coat off and just put it on after.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had a valid point. Harry was starting to feel faint anyways, so he just huffed and reached behind him to take the coat off. “Fine then,” he grumbled, taking his coat off and tossing it onto Zayn’s lap. He was right- he did feel much better without the coat actually on. He really had been overheating in that thing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis turned around just as he took it off, and he immediately started choking on the air in his lungs. His eyes popped wide, nearly bugging out of his eye sockets in shock. “Shit,” he hissed, his eyes dropping down to the sheer shirt that the other man was wearing. His eyes raked over his body several times, his face already starting to turn red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry bit onto his bottom lip shyly, but that only seemed to make Louis’ eyes pop out even wider. “Like the shirt, Lou?” He asked, his voice low and missing it’s usual innocence. He tried his best not to giggle as Louis very obviously ogled him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck yes,” the older man swore, swallowing thickly as his eyes raked over Harry’s body again. He didn’t even seem like he knew what he was doing, just subconsciously biting down on his lip. Harry blushed red, biting back a smile as he looked downwards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall let out a low whistle. “Damn, you could cut through this sexual tension with a knife,” he commented. Neither Harry or Louis even seemed to hear what he said, too caught up in each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn let out a small chuckle. “You better drive faster, Ni. I think Louis’ gonna piss his pants any second,” he commented with a laugh. Louis heard that one, and turned around to flip him off. That only made Zayn laugh even harder and to throw Harry’s coat at the Doncaster man in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Harry just leaned back in his seat, feeling very satisfied as he caught sight of the small boner poking a tent in Louis’ pants. This was going to be a fun night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And sure enough, Harry had been right about where they were going. Niall had picked the spot, so Harry had automatically assumed it would be somewhere they could get drunk and have a good time- and he was right. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only a few minutes after the coat incident, Niall pulled the car into the busy road. They then drove across the street, before coming to a large building. It had big, colourful flashing lights and looked to be in between being cool or tacky. There was a bright, neon sign on the front of it that said ‘STRIP N’ BOWL.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam furrowed his brows as they pulled into one of the packed parking spaces. He was looking at the building, a confused expression on his face. “Uh, what’s a strip and bowl?” He asked slowly, scrunching his nose up at the sign. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall rolled his eyes. “Duh! It’s a bowling, strip, karaoke bar of course!” He exclaimed, excitedly. “It’s like the only one in all of New York, can you believe it? It’s the whole package- stripping, bowling and karaoke all in one magnificent place! It’s insanely busy all year round- it’s a wonder that I even managed to get us a booking here on such short notice!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn narrowed his eyes. “Then how did you manage to get us in here on such short notice?” He said slowly. “Gigi and I have looked into it before and it’s always sold out. You need to book in weeks in advance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the Irish man just shrugged. He looked in the rearview mirror, shooting his best friend a smirk. “All I had to do was say that Harry Styles was ready to get down and dirty and strip for the whole house. Got a booking within an hour,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nearly choked on his own breath. “NIALL!” He shrieked, leaning up to smack his friend on the arm. Niall just cackled in response, his tone light and teasing. Louis on the other hand, just shot him a deathly scowl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m joking, I’m joking,” he said, popping his door open and climbing out. He then leant back in before adding, “partly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five of them headed into the building together, having to run inside so as to not get wet in the rain. They got to the door, where a bulky security man was standing guard. He didn’t even need to ask for their names, just took one look at them and recognized them as One Direction. His eyes flicked Harry up and down, before smirking and saying that he couldn’t wait for his turn on the strip stage. Harry had only gaped at him, shocked, until Louis growled and grabbed onto the younger man, practically carrying him into the bar and away from the other man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They headed inside of the bar, and it was immediately very noticeably packed. It wasn’t too bad, as Harry had definitely been in worse crowds in his life, but this one was still kind of busy. Thankfully, however, each group got their own bowling alley, which was good for space. At least they got that section to themselves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall sighed happily to himself, throwing his coat onto a chair. “This is fantastic!” He exclaimed, happily, having to shout to be heard over the music. It was really pumping in the room, the beat actually causing Harry’s heart to thump inside of his chest along to it. It was also quite dark, with neon laser lights lighting up the room. The stage was also dark, which meant that there wasn’t anyone doing strip karaoke yet. All in all, it was actually kind of cool. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All we need now are some shots,” Louis added, tossing his coat into the booth of their alley. “I’ll go get some tequila and others. Make it a little surprising. Come on, Payno, come help me get ‘em.” Liam shrugged at that, deciding it was probably better to get the drinks with Louis instead of just letting him pick it himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall looked delighted. “Awesome! Then we can really get this party started!” He cheered. Once Louis and Liam left, he turned to Harry and Zayn. “Hey you two, why don’t you get us some food. I know that I for one am gonna be starving once we get this show on the road.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? And where will you be then?” Zayn asked with a raised eyebrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Niall just smirked at him in response. He then nodded towards the other side of the room, mischievously. Harry and Zayn both turned around to see what was clearly a Bachelorette party, with about eight or nine women dancing together. “See that blond one with the long legs?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Might try to get her number.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry scoffed, grabbing Zayn by the arm. “Come on, let’s go get the food and leave him to it. I personally want no part in this” he commented, rolling his eyes at his best friend. “Just make sure it’s not the actual bride you’re flirting with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall just shooed him off. “I’m better than that, Styles. Now go get my fries!” He called. Harry rolled his eyes again while his friend made his way towards the group of women. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not really wanting to see where it was going, he just started walking towards the food station with Zayn. they headed over and got in line to order. Thankfully, the line wasn’t too long and soon enough they were set to go within just a few minutes. Harry stepped up to order, while Zayn headed off to get some ketchup packets. “Hello,” Harry said politely, smiling at the cashier. “Can I get, uhh… five orders of medium fries?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman behind the counter nodded, snapping her gum in her mouth and looking less than interested. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go get them. That’ll be ten bucks whenever you’re ready,” she said, putting the card machine in front of him while she headed off to get his order. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was reaching into his pocket to get his card, when a bulky hand touched his hand, stopping him. “Hey there, doll,” the drunken voice said lowly into his ear. It was so close that Harry jumped in surprise, not having even noticed someone there. “How ‘bout I pay for that for you, hmm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The curly haired singer yanked his hand away, turning to look at the large man standing behind him. He was ugly, probably in his late forties or fifties. His chin was scruffy with stubble and he was large. Not even muscly, just big with a gut that hung out. And his eyes were little beads, smirking down at Harry. The younger man immediately felt uncomfortably, and stammered to reply. “No, no, that’s fine,” he said, shifting away. “I’ve got it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the man just tightened his grip on Harry’s arm. “I insist, doll. A pretty little head like yours shouldn’t be paying for anything when there’s a real man around,” the ugly man said, his eyes scanning Harry’s body hungrily. “Besides, I’m sure you can pay me back for it later in my car.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was what caused Harry’s eyes to widen and for him to rip his arm away. “No thank you,” he snapped, standing up straighter despite the fact that the other man towered over him anyways. “And I won’t be paying you back ever. Now please take a step back before I have to report you for sexual assault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had thought that that would deeter the man, but no such luck. If anything, it just made him seem even hungrier, even going so far as to take a step toward the smaller man. “Not my fault you’re so slutty and irresistible, doll,” he commented, tugging at Harry’s shirt. “Come dressed like this and a man like me can’t contain themselves. You’re pretty much asking for it in the first place…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then, like an angel from heaven, that Zayn decided to show up. He looked one look at Harry’s panicked face and then the ugly, fat man’s grip on his arm and shirt, before storming over to them. “Uh, excuse me?” He snapped, dropping the ketchup onto the counter in order to throw the man off of Harry, ripping his arm away. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fat man’s smile finally dropped off of his face, instead replaced by a scowl. “Piss off, mate,” he growled, his eyes narrowing. “I was just talking to him, ain’t that right doll-face?” Harry shivered at the nickname, stepping behind Zayn. “Besides, I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn stood up taller in anger, his fists clenching at his sides. “It is my business because he’s my friend, asshole,” he growled, the hairs on the back of his neck. “And he happens to be dating my best mate. So unless you want our entire group and any decent person here out for you, I’d suggest you be the one to piss off, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mate.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s heart was beating wildly inside of his chest now. That man was big, bigger than Zayn and could easily take the both of them down with ease. But the threat of having all of the boys on him at once seemed to the ugly man, or at least enough for him to back down. “Fine then,” he said, taking a step back, his face red in anger. “And just so you know, you’re not that hot, doll. I was just looking for a fuck, but I can do much better than you anyways.” Then with that, he marched off in the other direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry practically sagged in relief once he left, leaning against the counter. “Thank god,” he mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair. He didn’t even know how to put into words how relieved he felt at that moment, just glad that Zayn had shown up in time to save him from the ugly man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn turned around at that, the anger dropping from his face and turning to concern instead. “Hey, are you alright?” He asked worriedly. “That asshole looked like he was holding you tightly. And don’t listen to a word he says, Haz. Even I can see that you’re hot and I’m straight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at Zayn tightly, patting him on the arm. “Chill, Z. I don’t care about him,” he said. “I’m just glad he left, honestly. Thanks for coming by. God, he was creepy as hell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And, like, twice your age,” the dark haired man added on with a scoff. “What a perverted asshole. Are you sure you’re okay?” He looked genuinely concerned, and it made Harry smile a little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m good. Really, Z,” he said with a small smile. He then stopped, his eyes darting across the room to see that Liam and Louis were just returning to the bar, along with a pleased looking Niall. “But, uh, can you not tell Louis about this? It’s not really his business and I, uh, I don’t want him to have to worry about it. So can you not mention it to him, please?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn frowned at that, letting out a small sigh. “Yeah, I won’t,” he said with defeat. “But you should. Lou would want to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t respond at that. He just grabbed the fries while Zayn picked up the ketchup again. Then the two of them headed back to their seats with the other boys, who all looked excited as they headed over with the food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The DJ stepped back onto the stage while the room clapped. “I know, I know! What a gal! Everyone give another hand to Hailee for an amazing performance!” The crowd clapped and cheered, everyone whopping in response to the DJ. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hailee had been the act that had just been up. She had done a song and a strip dance as well, and it had been pretty good. She grabbed the mic and thanked everyone for their money, saying that she was using it to get into college. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five boys had been bowling for a while now, and the shows had also started. People from the audience would volunteer or get signed up for the karaoke, and then they’d get to go up and perform. They also stripped against the stripper’s pole as well, which was fun to watch. Some of them were actually good singers, but miserable strippers. And those who were actually good stripsers, were bad singers. There had yet to be someone who was good at both. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plus, the people who went up and stripped actually left with quite a bit of money if they were good. The most popular girl had gotten two hundred dollars just for two minutes on the stage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Next up, we have someone who has been signed up by their friend!” The DJ said, causing the crowd to start ‘ooh-ing’ at that. It was always exciting when someone was signed up by their friend, because it meant that they had no idea. Usually they were always super embarrassed and bad, but it was funny to watch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam hummed. “We should probably leave soon,” he commented, taking a sip of his water bottle. He was the designated driver by choice, and therefore wasn’t drinking while they were there, even though everyone else was. “Pretty sure Niall and Louis are nearly completely drunk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait! One more!” Niall exclaimed drunkenly, the shot that was in his hand sloshing around. “One more act, please Payno! I have a feeling that this is going to be *hiccup* a good one!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one got to respond, before the DJ was speaking again excitedly into the microphone. “The next act up is none other than…. HARRY S from lane 4!” He shouted into the microphone. A spotlight immediately landed on their alley, causing Harry to drop his drink in shock. It was him. He was the next act. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall giggled drunkenly, before giving Harry a shove in the direction of the stage, smacking him on the butt as he passed. “Get on up there, you little sexy beast! Time to bring home the big bucks with those hips, Hazza!” He shouted, his words slurred. “Make me proud!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was way too drunk for this. He was still in shock from his name being called and far too dazed to know what was going on, until he was actually on the stage with the DJ. “So, what’ll it be, sweetheart? We got every song there is- just you name one,” he said, patting Harry on the back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stammered. “No, I’m not- this was a joke by my friend. I’m not really singing. I’m not- I don’t do this kinda stuff,” he stuttered, his eyes trying to adjust to the bright lights all of a sudden. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. Happens all the time. But you’re up here now and it’s time to live a little. Would be a shame to waste all of our time by chickening out. So what do you say, what song will it be?” The DJ asked, somewhat impatiently as he tapped his foot on the stage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry actually expected himself to chicken out and make up another excuse, or just run for it. But his mind and his mouth were not in the same place, as he uttered a word that was not an excuse. “Medicine,” he answered automatically, taking himself by surprise. Because, no! He was not supposed to be doing strip karaoke! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the DJ just nodded, patting him on the back. “Atta boy, sweetheart. Wherever you’re ready.  And a word of advice… you’re hot. Work it on the pole and I guarantee you’re going home with the bills,” he said with a small wink before stepping off of the stage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was still in shock with himself, not believing in the slightest that this was actually real. He was not supposed to be on that stage, let alone actually going along with the whole idea. His eyes scanned the crowd for his friends, spotting them at their bowling isle. Niall looked delighted with himself, while the other three boys were just shocked. Louis’ mouth was parted open in surprise. Then the music started playing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t get stage fright- he was a singer for crying out loud! But for some reason, his hands started to tremble a little as the beat started to pick up. He cleared his throat, before taking a deep and steadying breath as his cue came up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Here to take my medicine, take my medicine</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Treat you like a gentleman</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Give me that adrenaline, that adrenaline</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I think I'm gonna stick with you</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Here to take my medicine, take my medicine</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Rest it on your fingertips</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Up to your mouth, feeling it out</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Feeling it out…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crowd clapped for him at that. Even though it was just the first verse, they really seemed to be getting into the song. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘What the hell,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought to himself, throwing all caution to the wind. Maybe it was the excitement of it all, or maybe it was because he was half drunk, but he decided just to go for it. He smirked, his hands coming up to start to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt. The crowd seemed to go wild at that, and he saw Niall’s face turn from satisfaction to pure shock, his jaw dropping open. It only prompted Harry to keep going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I had a few, got drunk on you and now I'm wasted</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And when I sleep I'm gonna dream of how you tasted…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shirt came undone, dropping to the ground by his feet. Bills were being thrown onto the stage now, and the drunk people in the crowd were screaming and cheering him on. Harry smirked, before stepping close to the crowd again. He didn’t know what he was doing, since he had never really danced before, but he decided just to go with the music and let his hips do the rest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You got that something, I got me an appetite, now I can taste it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We're getting dizzy, oh, we're getting dizzy, oh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>La la la la la</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked down at the crowd that was now fighting to get to the front of the stage. It was like at a concert when the fans would reach out to him while he performed. Only difference was this time they were reaching up to slip bills into his waistband. He knelt down close to them, unbuttoning his jeans and dropping them a little to reveal a black thong clinging to his hips. They went even wilder at that, jumping up and down to both cop a feel and pass him bills. He felt like a proper stripper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Tingle running through my bones, fingers to my toes</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tingle running through my bones</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boys and the girls are in</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I mess around with him</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And I’m okay with it…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m coming down, I figured out I kinda liked it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And when I sleep I’m gonna dream of how I ride it…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He then hopped back up, before skipping over to the stripper pole in the middle of the stage. He was on a rush, and he was not going to stop with just singing. Now when he was already this into it- might as well go all the way. Besides, he was having fun. His mind was high and he was drunk and he was having a good time. He hopped onto the stripper pole, wrapping his legs around it and spinning around. Everyone ‘ooh-ed’ and went insane all over again. Harry giggled to himself, letting his head drop down behind him, his hair falling free. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You got that something, I got me an appetite, now I can taste it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We're getting dizzy, oh, we're getting dizzy, oh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>La la la la la…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I had a few, got drunk on you and now I'm wasted…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You got that something, I got me an appetite, now I can taste it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We're getting dizzy, oh, we're getting dizzy, oh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>La la la la la…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the song ended, Harry dropped down from the pole, stumbling a little as he hit the ground. When he looked up, he saw the crowd going insane. Everyone was screaming, both all the guys and even the girls, throwing bills onto the stage at him and yelling his name. Harry let out a breathless laugh, running a hand through his hair as he blinked, still in shock of what he had just done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The DJ ran back on stage, looking as blown away as Harry’s felt. “Holy shit, did everyone see that!?” He yelled into the bar. Everyone cheered again. The DJ grabbed Harry’s hand, holding it into the air before forcing him to take a bow. “Oh my god was that something special. Come on, guys, time to empty those wallets and give this gentleman song love!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grabbed his shirt from off the ground and slipped it back on, not even bothering to button up the buttons. He yanked his pants up as well, getting them caught on some of the bills stuck in his thong. “Keep the money,” he said to the DJ, his eyes scanning the crowd for his friends. “We’ve got enough. Give it to the last girl for her college or something… I have to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without another word, Harry was hopping off of the stage and into the crowd. Several hands then reached out to grope him, but he just pushed them off and pushed through the crowd. He was not interested in any of them, but they were clearly all interested in him by the boners in the guys’ pants. He shoved his way through, until a pair of strong hands latched onto his waist, yanking him into another body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry felt his heart skip a beat as he tried to push the other person off of him. “Hey, Haz, stop. It’s me, it’s me. God, stop that, Haz,” Louis’ voice groaned into his ear. Harry stopped fighting immediately, recognizing the Doncaster accent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Louis?” He asked, looking up. Sure enough, there were two cerulean eyes looking right back at him. Two very hungry and lustful cerulean eyes to be more specific. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis reached down and grabbed onto Harry’s legs, hoisting him up until Harry was straddling his waist. “Fuck, you’re so hot, Harry,” he groaned, his mouth reaching down to nip at Harry’s neck, causing the younger to moan as well. Harry didn’t even have to say anything as Louis took the cue and carried him towards the exit. “You have no idea how hot you made me- made everyone else up there. Oh my god, Hazza.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed, throwing his head back. “Was thinking about you when I was on the pole,” he hummed, his mouth falling open as the other man sucked a hickey onto the milky flesh of his neck. Louis swore loudly, his pace towards the exit quickening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they passed the boys, Niall called after them. “Condoms are in the glovebox! Don’t get anything nasty on that car’s leather! We all have to drive back in there, you know!” The two of them didn’t even seem to hear. Niall just huffed, watching as the DJ collected all the money. There had to be hundreds of dollars up there. “We should have been strippers,” he commented to himself. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Hazza… come on, love. Time to wake up…” the other voice called softly in his ear, causing Harry to stir from his sleep. He groaned a little, but kept his eyes shut as he tried to soak in the last few moments of sleep. But the voice didn’t stop. “Come on, lovely. You gotta get up. Come on, Hazza…”</p><p> </p><p>Harry tried to swat the voice away weakly with his hands, waving his arms around blindly. “Don’t wanna,” he mumbled, snuggling under the blankets again. The voice next to him chuckled, causing the bed to vibrate with movement as he did. </p><p>“I know you don’t want to, love. But we have to. Remember, we have all those interviews we need to do today,” the voice, now recognizable as being Louis’ voice, said gently to him. Louis then caught Harry’s flailing hand in his own, and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “Now stop trying to poke my eye out or I’ll throw you out of this bed.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks so much to everyone who has been leaving comments, kudos and bookmarks! I love you all so much and it means so much that you’ve been sticking around to support this story &lt;3</p><p>This one is a little bit shorter, but I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Four</b>
  <b>:</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>January 21, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Usually, Harry woke up by himself. For the past few years, he had never needed to get an alarm clock, or even to set an alarm on his phone. He always woke himself up, and it was always early. Even before the twins had been born, he had always made a habit of getting up early completely on his own. And then after they had been born, he hadn’t ever slept. One newborn was enough to keep two parents up all night, and it was even worse with just Harry and two babies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> But he had always made a point of waking himself up without an alarm or someone else needing to do it for him. Which was why it was weird for him when he woke up that morning, not on his own, but to someone else nudging him awake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hazza… come on, love. Time to wake up…” the other voice called softly in his ear, causing Harry to stir from his sleep. He groaned a little, but kept his eyes shut as he tried to soak in the last few moments of sleep. But the voice didn’t stop. “Come on, lovely. You gotta get up. Come on, Hazza…”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry tried to swat the voice away weakly with his hands, waving his arms around blindly. “Don’t wanna,” he mumbled, snuggling under the blankets again. The voice next to him chuckled, causing the bed to vibrate with movement as he did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you don’t want to, love. But we have to. Remember, we have all those interviews we need to do today,” the voice, now recognizable as being Louis’ voice, said gently to him. Louis then caught Harry’s flailing hand in his own, and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “Now stop trying to poke my eye out or I’ll throw you out of this bed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that, the younger man blinked one eye open. He looked up at Louis, who was lying in the bed next to him, shirtless. Harry briefly wondered if he was wearing any pants. “Uh, Lou?” He asked in confusion, blinking at the older man. “Why are you in my bed with me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t remember what could have happened last night that led to Louis in his bed. Well, he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>imagine</span>
  </em>
  <span> but he doubted that the two of them had had sex again, especially considering that the kids had been having a sleepover with Louis and Freddie the night before. And he would have both doubted, and been extremely pissed, if Louis had left the three kids in the room by themselves to sneak into Harry’s room for midnight sex. Plus, he didn’t even remember doing it last night, which was also odd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you’re thinking, we didn’t do that,” Louis’ voice said, cutting through his thoughts and bringing the curly haired singer back to reality. Louis was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, showing that he completely knew what the other was thinking. He could read Harry like a book. “We didn’t have sex last night, Haz.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked at him in confusion. “Uh, but you’re in my bed. And you’re shirtless. What else would we have done?” He asked dumbly, his mind still trying to catch up to what had happened the night before. His mind was hazy from sleep, and it was working too slowly for him at the moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just smirked at him, pressing a kiss to his nose. “For one, notice how you’re not naked in the slightest and I’m still wearing pants,” Harry looked down at himself, seeing that he was indeed still wearing pajamas. Louis also had on pajama pants. “Two, we’re not in your bed. We’re in mine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty four year old blinked at him in surprise, propping himself up on his elbows to get a look around the room. They were staying in hotels, so all the rooms looked the same, but it was obvious that he wasn’t in his own room. For one, all of the luggage and clothing in the room all belonged to Louis, and not him. But instead of clearing it up, that only made him more confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your room?” He asked, looking up at Louis questionably. “Why are we- how did I get to your room?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just smiled at him softly, leaning in closer. Really he always said that Harry was the cuddly one, but at times like these, Louis was even more so. “You came in late last night because you had a nightmare,” he hummed, nosing Harry’s neck gently. “So we cuddled.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s heart melted at that, so much so that he needed to bite down onto his bottom lip to keep it all from gushing out. “I do like cuddling,” he mumbled to himself. Louis just hummed again, pulling him closer. “But what about the kids?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re here. Woke up a little while ago so I made them breakfast. They’re all ready to go and are just watching TV now,” the older man said, his own voice raspy from sleep. “Didn’t want to wake up you, but we have to get going soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry frowned. “Go where?” His mind wasn’t catching up on that either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis chuckled a little, pressing a peck to his neck. “You really are out of it this morning, eh Hazza?” He said lightly, his voice teasing and happy. “We’re doing interviews today, remember? We have, like, three of them lined up for today. Lottie is watching the twins and Freddie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the mention of going to work, Harry groaned and hid his face into another pillow. “Don’t wanna go,” he complained, whining. He hated interviews, ever since 2012. At first it had been fun. But then the questions were pre-made and checked by their management, and he couldn't sit by Louis anymore. That was when he stopped liking them. “Do we have to go in today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded, inhaling Harry’s scent deeply from where he nose was buried in his collarbones and neck. “We do,” he hummed softly. “I don’t want to either, but today we’re doing promo for the tour or something. Not that we need it, but James set it up. We have three of them today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry groaned at that. “Not three,” he whined pathetically. “Lou, I don’t wanna.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know love. I don’t want to either. And if I could let you sleep in I would, but we’re already late and you still need to get ready, yeah?” The older man said, gently nudging him out of bed. Harry groaned at that, refusing to leave the comfort of the sheets. But Louis had different ideas as he took the blankets away and helped the younger man up to his feet, despite his whining the entire time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned over and pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “Thanks, love. Now you go get ready and I’ll make you some breakfast for the road. Lottie will be here any minute,” he said, before stepping away from Harry with a small, encouraging smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry rubbed his eye with one hand tiredly, the other wrapping around his midsection to keep warm without the blankets around him. “Okay, Lou,” he said doefully, waving as Louis stepped out of the room. The door closed with a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>click</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Harry then sighed to himself, turning to pick out an outfit from Louis’ clothes. If he needed to go to three stupid interviews, he was at least going to wear the other man’s clothes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry walked out of the bedroom fifteen minutes later, dressed in one of Louis’ personal brand shirts. It was the one with the two X’s and a smiley face with the words Miss You underneath. It was comfortable and nothing said ‘go to hell, homophobes’ like wearing your ex-boyfriend’s merch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, his mood was killed when he walked into the kitchen and was hit by a sudden smell flooding his nose. It was so strong that it almost made him double over and puke then and there. But he managed to clamp a hand over his mouth and swallow it down just in time. “Louis?” He called, his voice shaking a little in an effort not to puke. “What is that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked over at him sheepishly from where he was standing in the kitchen. “Sorry, Haz. I couldn’t find anything quick and good to make you, so I just made toast. Hope that’s fine,” he said, before passing Harry a plain piece of toast with butter on a plate. Harry pushed it back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what else did you make that smells so bad?” He asked, placing a hand over his stomach as his nose scrunched. “Lou, it smells so strong in here. I think I’m going to be sick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that, Louis just frowned and looked at him slowly. “Harry, all I made was toast,” he said, passing him the plate again. “Come on, Harry. You should eat something before we go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But again, the curly haired man just passed it back at him. “No, I can’t. The smell is too much,” he said thickly, covering his mouth with one hand to try and ease the nausea in his stomach that was threatening to come out of his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The smell?” the twenty seven year old repeated, furrowing his brow. “Harry. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>toast.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” the other man said again, taking a small step away from the plate and from Louis. He took a deep breath to calm himself down again. “It makes me feel sick. The smell is too much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ frown was still lingering on his face as he put the plate down on the table again. “Ok, so no toast,” he said, unsurely. “But you should eat something at least. How about from fruit? Or some of that healthy greek yogurt you like so much? Do you want some of that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No thanks, I don’t think I can keep anything down right now,” Harry said meekly, massaging his upset stomach subconsciously. “I’ll just have something later when I don’t feel sick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other man was still looking at him suspiciously, but nodded anyways, trusting Harry. “Okay then, Hazza. If you’re sure,” he said, unsurely. “But you’re going to have to eat something later no matter if you feel better or not. And maybe we should even take you in to see a doctor…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shook his head at that. “No. I’m fine, Lou. My stomach’s just upset right now, but I’m sure I’ll feel better soon. And I don’t want to see a doctor for just feeling a little queasy this morning. I’m good, really,” he said, trying to assure the other man. “And I’ll eat something later. Promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked like he wanted to say something else, probably try to get Harry to eat something now anyways. But before he got the chance, there was the sound of three small sets of feet running towards them. Allie, Robbie and Freddie all ran into view, rushing over to them. Allie and Robbie smiled once they saw him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi daddy!” Robbie chirped happily, running over towards Harry. He collided with his father, wrapping his arms around his legs in a hug. Next to him, Allie was doing the exact same thing. “What are you doing here, daddy?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at the two of them. “I slept here too, loves,” he answered back, knowing that they already knew that he had been there the whole time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You had a sleepover too?” Allie asked, cocking her head to the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded in response. “Yeah. I had a sleepover here too,” he said, patting her on the head. Really, his two little angels were just too perfect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie nodded knowingly. “Oh, that’s cool,” he said, not at all that interested or surprised. Harry didn’t know if he should be worried or happy that his kids seemed to be so nonchalant about him having regular sleepovers with Louis all the time, seeming that it didn’t bother them one bit. He’d have to keep that in the back of his mind for later. “Anyways, we have a question,” he said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? What’s that?” the twenty four year old responded easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s about Lou,” Robbie said suddenly, his voice dropping to an exaggerated whisper as if Louis wouldn’t be able to hear. In reality, the whole hotel would probably have been able to hear him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smirked. “And what’s that?” He asked patiently, his eyes flickering up to make eye-contact with an amused-looking Louis. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Allie started, piping up seriously. “You know how you told us that you’re our daddy and that Lou is our other daddy?” Hesitantly, Harry nodded his head, exchanging a look with the other man, who looked just as skeptical as him. “We only call you daddy, but we call Lou ‘Lou’. And we were wondering how come we don’t call Lou ‘daddy’ too since you said he’s our daddy now just like you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s mouth formed an ‘O’. He hadn’t been expecting this this morning. His eyes darted up to look at Louis, who also looked caught off guard by this question. He cleared his throat, before looking back at the twins. They were both looking up at him, waiting for the answer, so he knelt beside them. “Well,” he said, pulling them closer. “Do you want to call Louis something else?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, they both nodded. “Well, yeah,” Allie said, looking down at her feet. “If we have two daddies, how come we only call one of them that? We don’t wanna call Lou ‘Lou’ if he’s our daddy too.” She said it somewhat shyly, as if she was nervous of what Harry would say. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry took a deep breath. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t given it any thought. Even before Louis was back in their lives, he had pictured them being all together as one happy family. And of course in his visions, they had always called him their dad. And then once he told them the truth about Louis, he had still kept that thought in the back of his mind. Which was why it was kind of odd that he wasn’t nearly as prepared for it as he thought he’d be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to, though,” Robbie piped up when Harry had gone quiet for probably longer than normal. He looked even more nervous than his sister, looking at his father with wide eyes. “We can keep calling him Lou. It’s just cause Bear calls one of his daddies ‘daddy’ and the other one ‘papa’...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, love,” Harry said gently to the small boy, seeing how nervous he was getting about the whole thing. “I was just surprised. But I think that if you want to call Louis something else, you can do that. If that’s okay with Louis, of course…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them looked up at Louis for his answer. Louis, who looked like he had been dazed with thought, snapped back to reality. “Yeah,” he breathed, a smile appearing on his face. “Yes, of course you can call me something else. You can call me anything you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie’s face brightened immediately. “So we can call you daddy?” She asked excitedly, her eyes wide. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, not exactly. That’s your daddy,” Louis said, nodding at Harry. “You can’t call us both the same thing. But you can call me something else if you want. Just not daddy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie hummed in thought. “What about papa?” He suggested. “Like Bear does.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis opened his mouth to reply, but he cut himself off first. Instead of answering, he looked over at Harry for his answer first, which made Harry’s heart pick up. “Yeah,” he said, looking between the twins and Louis. “That sounds like a great idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instantly, the twins’ faces lit up and they spun around on their heels to look at Louis, their faces wild with excitement. “Did you hear that, Lou?” Allie yelled, her face breaking into an expression of pure joy and excitement. “You’re our papa now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just let out a breathy, ringing laugh in response. He dropped to his knees onto the ground just as the two of them ran towards him at full speed. The twins collided into Louis, the three of them immediately being pulled into a tight group hug. Louis looked up at Harry with shiny eyes, mouthing ‘thank you’ while he squeezed the two kids. Harry just smiled, his heart swelling at the sight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that there was a knock at the door. They didn’t even need to reply before the doorknob was turning and a head peaked out. “Hey everyone,” Lottie said brightly. “Sorry i'm late! You kids ready to go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled brightly as the kids finally pulled out of the group hug. “Hey Lots,” he said. “Yeah, I think they’re ready to go now. Allie, Robbie, Freddie, ready to go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie nodded. “We’re ready!” She exclaimed, skipping over towards Lottie. She had only met the woman a few times, but had clicked immediately with her and was now very comfortably around Lottie already. She skipped over before slipping her hand into Lottie’s, looking up and beaming at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie nodded too, and walked over. He was less excited about it, but was still comfortable with the woman. He just shrugged and walked over to her easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis then turned over to Freddie, who has yet to move from the corner of the room. “Ready to go with auntie Lottie, bud?” He asked his son, shooting him a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Freddie just scowled. “Fine,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing his eyes as he stomped over. He didn’t even cast Louis a second glance as he stormed over towards Lottie and the twins, his arms crossed over his chest. He walked right past Louis, who had his arms outstretched for a hug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked, grabbing his son before he could completely walk away. “Hey,” he said with a frown. Freddie just crossed his arms over his chest and kept his gaze downwards stubbornly. “Freddie, you’re not going to give me a hug?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But instead of giving in, Freddie just shook his head wordlessly. His gaze was still trained on the ground, but it was clear that he was still frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ brows creased. “Are you sure? You’re not going to see me for most of the day after this?” He warned. But still, Freddie didn’t make a move to hug him. Sighing, Louis lowered his arms. “Alright then, no hug. Say goodbye to Harry and I at least.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye,” Freddie said, solely to Louis, before turning on his heels and making a move to storm out. He made a move to brush past Harry until his father stopped him again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face hardened. “Freddie Tomlinson, don’t use that tone with me,” he scolded the younger boy, causing him to stop in his tracks on the way out. “Now say goodbye to Harry </span>
  <em>
    <span>politely </span>
  </em>
  <span>and then you can go</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine!” Freddie shouted, causing Louis’ eyes to widen in surprise. His small face was turning pink in the cheeks as he spun around to glare at Harry. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bye Harry,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he snapped, before storming past the curly haired man, making sure to knock into him purposely with his shoulder before running  out the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they had gone, Louis was still frowning at the door. “Bloody hell. I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” he sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. He then turned to Harry, pressing his lips together apologetically. “Sorry about that, Haz.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, Lou,” Harry said as he looked at the door thoughtfully, chewing on his bottom lip. “It’s just… maybe he’s jealous? You were just hugging Allie and Robbie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For a reason. They’re mine now too, kind of,” Louis argued, his brows creasing. “It’s not like I don’t spend every minute or everyday with him when he’s with me. I had one special moment with the twins after something important happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know,” the younger man said, playing with his curls subconsciously, twirling it in between his fingers. “I was just thinking out loud. He has gotten all your attention since he was born, so it wouldn’t be unusual for him to get jealous of suddenly having to share your attention.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis stopped at that, frowning thoughtfully as he digested Harry’s words. He then sighed to himself. “You might be right. I’ll have to talk to him,” he said, nodding. “Are you sure you’re fine?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry cracked a smile. “Louis, your eight year old son refusing to say goodbye to me isn’t going to upset me. I’m just worried about him,” he said, his eyes twinkling at Louis. “But you’re so thoughtful, Boobear.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that nickname, Louis raised an eyebrow. “So we’re back to Boobear, are we?” He asked, standing up off the ground and walking over to grab Harry’s hands and hoist him to his feet as well. “I was kinda hoping that nickname would have died a while ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never,” Harry said with a wide grin as he wrapped his arms around Louis’ neck. “Boobear is cute. Just like you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed. “You’re the cute one in this relationship, Sweetcheeks,” he said, his eyes twinkling as his arms wrapped themselves around the younger man’s waist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Louis said, mocking him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agree to disagree,” Harry answered back, before adding. “But I’m right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don't even challenge me on this one, Hazza. You’re the cute one here and it’s not even up for debate. So shut it,” Louis warned him, wagging his eyebrows. “You should know better by now that you can’t win in an argument against me. I’m much to stubborn. And much too smart.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you calling me stupid, Tomlinson?” Harry asked, jutting his bottom lip out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Louis just leaned down and captured his lips in his mouth in réponse, pulling him in for a kiss. “If the shoe fits, Styles,” he said between kissing, smirking against the other’s lips. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pulled away to smack him on the arm. “Meanie,” he whined, pouting again. “No more kisses for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty seven year old then pretended to be shocked, his hands clutching over his heart. “No more kisses?! How will I survive!” He exclaimed dramatically. Harry giggled, interlocking their hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Suck it up, big boy,” he said with a laugh, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Really, bantering with Louis was one of his favourite things. “Now come on. I didn’t wake up this early for interviews only to be late.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He walked in, his expression twisted into it’s sick and usual smirk that they all hated. His eyes were small and beady, almost as if they were staring into their souls. He was dressed in his usual jeans and black t-shirt, looking as unfashionable and ugly as he always did. It made Harry feel sick just looking at him. </p><p>“Hello boys,” Simon said, pulling his chair over and sitting in it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUIS!! Everyone say happy birthday to Louis, he deserves it! Hard to believe our little cupcake is growing up so fast &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>January 28, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was official. Harry was feeling like crap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ever since going to that strip club, he had been feeling sick since forever. He would wake up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning and claiming that he couldn’t get comfortable. He then would get up in the middle of sleeping to pee at least four times per night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could tell that it was annoying Louis, who always woke up when he woke up, but thankfully the other man hadn’t complained about it yet. Probably because in return, Harry had been giving him sex. Like, a lot of really great sex. Almost every night, as long as they weren’t too tired and up for it (which they almost always were.) That was another thing that had changed in Harry- his sex drive had increased by a lot. He blamed it on the fact that he had gone five years with just one mindless hook up and several ten minute shower-wanks while the kids were busy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Truth be told, that part wasn’t actually that bad for either Harry or Louis- it was probably the only good change that had happened to his body since getting sick. Everything else wasn’t nearly as enjoyable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For one, he would puke a lot. Whatever stomach bug he had was not happy with the idea of food, or more specifically, with the idea of Harry smelling any type of food. Didn’t matter if it was a greasy donaire or a bland piece of toast, the smell of anything made him gag. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Food was just an issue for him. If he wasn’t puking his guts out just at the sight of it, it was gorging it all down in one sitting. That was an issue too at the moment. It would happen at random times during the day, too. He’d just get super hungry and literally devour anything in sight. There had been a few times when he had been eating with the boys and he had been picking the scraps off of their plates when they were finished just because he was still hungry after his own food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That part also wasn;t concerning. At least, Harry wasn’t concerned in the slightest. So what if he felt queasy in the morning? It actually was something that wasn’t unusual for a lot of people, and he just figured he was one of those unlucky ones. So what if he felt like he was starving at times, even though he was stuffing himself? Niall claimed he felt that was all the time, and he just assumed that maybe all those years forgetting to eat and not caring if he went a day without food or not mattered. He wasn’t worried for his health. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall had found it quite funny, claiming that he would have paid good money to see Harry eat so much a few years ago when he would sometimes go an entire day without eating because he forgot. Louis and Liam on the other hand were more concerned than amused. The two of them had already offered to take him to the doctor a few times to get him checked up on, but Harry never went with them. After all, nothing was wrong with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then there were other days when it felt like everything and everyone was out to get him, and he hated those days. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were the days when he would wake up after barely even getting a wink of sleep the night before. They were the days when his back hurt and his stomach was cramping and he just didn’t want to move. He actually needed Louis, who was usually there waking up beside him, to help him out of the bed or else he wouldn’t do it himself. Then, even after getting up, he would still feel dead on his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those were the days when he felt completely drained emotionally, and would then become drained physically when he would find his head leaning over the toilet bowl, puking his guts out. Even the smell of food on someone else’s breath would set him off, causing him to gag and end up spilling his guts out again. And on the bad days, he didn’t even feel hungry for the rest of the day. No gorging himself because food just made him feel sick. Those days Louis practically needed to shove a bowl of soup or some crackers down his throat to make sure he actually ate something that day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wouldn’t want to do anything on those days. Even his kids, who were literally the lights of his life, would tire him out to the point of exhaustion. If it was a really bad day, Gemma would take the kids for the day while Louis called him in sick for work. Then the two of them, sometimes replaced by Niall (but rarely), would cuddle on the couch and watch Disney movies. Then Harry would slowly doze off for maybe ten minutes, before having to get up and pee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those days were an endless cycle of pain and misery for Harry, and he hated every single one of them when they came around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And, unfortunately, it was one of those days that day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And to celebrate another crappy day, it was about to become even crappier. Because they were going in to have a meeting with the big man. One Direction was going to be talking to Simon Cowell for the first time in five years. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie was pouting when Harry pulled her in for one final hug. The small girl wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into it. “I don’t wanna go, daddy,” she whined, pulling herself even closer to the curly haired singer, almost like if she was never going to let go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry felt his heart crack at that, his arms instantly flying down to pick up the small girl and pull her into a hug. “I know, baby,” he cooed, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her head in response, doing his best to keep his composure. “But you always like going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, remember?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s so much fun here. We get to go to concerts and we get to see you and papa everyday and it’s so fun,” she complained, making no move to let go. “And now you’re sending us away to go to England for a whole long week by ourselves.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sweetie, it’s only going to be four days. You’ll be back right in time for my birthday, right?” Harry said, nudging the girl. He really wanted to get his kids at least a little bit happy about going to Holmes Chapel for a few days, because then he’d feel a lot less guilty about not going with them. “And you won’t be alone. Robbie is going with you, and you’ll have Grandma and Grandpa, who you always have fun with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie pulled away just a little bit to look Harry in the eyes. She still looked uncertain, a small frown tugging at her lips into a pout. “But you won’t be there. You’re always there and this time you won’t be,” she added in quietly, frowning. “And if you don’t go, I don’t wanna go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few feet away, Anne was watching with a somewhat sad expression. Beside her, Robin was standing, carrying an already sleeping Robbie. He had passed out right after hugging Harry goodbye the first time, which was a relief considering he would be the one putting up the most fight. There definitely would have been a lot of tears if Robbie had been awake for the final goodbyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed. “I know. I want to be there, but I have important meetings and concerts that I have to do,” he said, trying to explain for probably the ninth time since arriving at the airport. “And you need to go, lovely. Whether you think so or not, Louis and I both agree that you two need some time away from the stage and spotlight for a few days, alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie frowned even more. “But I’m born to shine, daddy!” She exclaimed. “It’s not my fault I was born for the spotlight! It calls me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis chuckled from somewhere behind Harry, which he chose to ignore even though he was fighting back his own smile. “I know it does, princess,” Harry said slowly, biting back his smile. “And the spotlight will still be here when you get back in four days, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, the five year old sighed, her shoulder sagging downwards as the fight seemed to drain out of her small body. “I guess so,” she said in defeat, looking down at her shoes. “I guess I’ll go to Grandma and Grandpa’s, but only for a few days. Then I’ll come right back to shine in the spotlight, deal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at that. He had to admit that the small girl really was so much like Louis, especially her sense of humor and loud personality. It was something that used to be bittersweet both because it made him think about Louis and him together, and because it made him think about Louis leaving him. But now it was just something that made him smile to himself, seeing him reflecting in the five year old. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Deal!” He said, pulling her in for one final hug. “Okay, one more hug before you go.” Before she could protest, he grabbed Allie and pulled her in for one last hug, and made sure to squeeze her extra hard. He inhaled the smell of the baby shampoo on the top of her head, while Allie smushed her face into his shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye bye, daddy,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around him again. It made Harry’s heart squeeze again. He had barely left the kids since they were born, let alone for more than three days. It was definitely going to be hard without them being around him all the time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry bit down on his bottom lip to keep from crying, hoping the physical pain would take his attention away from the emotional pain. “Bye baby,” he said thickly. He shot the girl a forced smile when she pulled away after a few seconds. “I love you so much. Have so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie nodded, smiling. “I will, daddy. I can call you when we get there,” she said easily. Harry nodded, feeling his throat get thicker. “I love you too!” The girl then turned to look behind Harry, before skipping over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis bent down to grab the girl into a hug. “Bye Alligator,” he cooed, pulling her in for a tight hug. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, before ruffling her hair. “Have fun in England. You’ll have to tell me all about those adventures you’re going to have when you come back, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie nodded excitedly. “I will! Bye papa!” Then with that, she let go of Louis and then skipped over to where Anne and Robie were standing, waiting for her. She then picked up her small, yellow backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Then with that, she turned around and waved one final time. Then her, Anne, Robin and Robbie were off, walking towards the plane. And then they were gone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis stood up and walked over towards Harry. He headed over to the younger man, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. “They’re gonna be fine, love,” he said gently, pressing a kiss to the side of Harry’s face. “Allie wasn’t worried. They’re going to have fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, blinking back the tears that were gathering in his eyes. “I know they will. But i’m going to miss them so much. They’ve never been gone for so long and so far away,” he said, his voice coming out as soft and choked up. He did his best to swallow the emotion down, but it was just bubbling in his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Louis just pulled him closer. “I know. But they’ll be back soon, you know,” he mumbled softly to the emotional singer next to him. “It’s only four days. I know it seems like a long time, but it’s what I go through with Freddie every other week. It sucks saying goodbye, but they’ll be back before you know it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Deep down, Harry knew that Louis was right. They would be so busy with work that it probably wouldn’t even feel like four days, and the kids would also be so busy having fun. But still, it felt like it was going to be torture for him to go without them. He turned around, hiding his face in the crook of Louis’ neck in response. “I know,” he mumbled softly. “I just don’t want them to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed, pulling him closer. He didn’t comment on that, knowing there wasn’t anything he could say to make him stop missing them. Instead, he just said, “let’s head out. Hazza.” Then he steered the two of them towards the doors and out of the airport. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall was restless from where he was sitting beside Harry. He was holding a pencil in his hands, and was constantly tapping it against the board table that they were sitting at. His leg was also bouncing up and down subconsciously, which was something he only did when he was nervous. But none of them really cared. They were all feeling just as nervous as him anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck this,” The Irishman huffed after a long moment, his eyes snapping up towards the clock that was resting on the wall of the office they were sitting in. It read 1:32 pm. “He’s late.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two minutes late,” Liam said softly from beside him, but no one paid him any mind. They usually liked Liam’s patient and kind persona, but not when it came to Simon Cowell. Besides, they all knew that Liam was just as bothered by the entire meeting as all of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two minutes late is still late enough,” Louis snapped at him, his eyes narrowing challengingly. He was on the other side of Harry, their chairs pressed as close to possible. It was like it was something they did subconsciously whenever they were in Simon’s office. They probably would have done it even if they were still ‘enemies.’ “If he doesn’t care to show up on time, we shouldn’t have to be here. I vote that we get up and leave right now and skip this whole thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry could tell how tense Louis was just by the sound of his voice, and he reached a hand over to touch him on the knee. He looked over, making eye contact with Louis, seeing his blue eyes flashing with both anxiety and fire. “Calm down, Lou,” he whispered softly to him. “He’s going to be here soon. Just relax.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was ritual for the two of them. Louis would be the one who brought the thunder to the meetings, always being the one to get passionate and angry. He would argue and shout and defend him and whoever was with him until the very end of the meeting, never backing down. Then there was Harry, who was the one who would ground him and keep him steady. Then at the end, it was always Harry’s arms that would hold him when he was drained and emotionally exhausted after each meeting. They were a team in that sense. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked over at him, his blue eyes meeting Harry’s green ones, and he visibly softened at him. His shoulders slumped down just a little bit, not quite enough to be letting down his guard at all, but enough so that he wasn’t going to explode at Liam. He exhaled heavily, some of the tension leaving him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn had been silent the entire time, but decided to speak up then. “Haz is right. We need to calm down a little. And… we need to stick together. No matter what, yeah?” He said, almost nervously as his eyes shifted up to look at each of them carefully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded immediately. “Of course,” he answered back quietly, not even blinking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” echoed Louis, Niall and Liam. They all were thinking the same thing deep down, that they would never make it through this meeting, let alone through an entire reunion, without sticking together this time. A battle for one of them would mean a battle for all of them, no in between. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five of them then fell into a silence again, letting the weight of their words hang in the air above them. They weren’t silent for long, however, since only a few moments later, the doorknob was turning. The door was then opened and James, Tanya, Lindsay and a few other management people strolled in, followed by none other than Simon Cowell, who looked ugly as ever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked in, his expression twisted into it’s sick and usual smirk that they all hated. His eyes were small and beady, almost as if they were staring into their souls. He was dressed in his usual jeans and black t-shirt, looking as unfashionable and ugly as he always did. It made Harry feel sick just looking at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello boys,” Simon said, pulling his chair over and sitting in it. He was in the middle of the table, in the biggest chair. The other people then went and sat on either side of him, making it look like they were his cronies and he was their leader. It was intimidating. Next to him, Harry could feel Louis bristle and tense up. His hand fell from Louis’ knee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam straightened up, trying to make himself look taller and braver than he felt. “Mr Cowell,” he said with a curt nod of greeting. Harry could see that his jaw was flexed by clenching it so tightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Simon was clearly unbothered by it, since he just raised his eyebrow and waved him off easily. “Now now, we’ve been together long enough to be on a first name basis, don’t you think so, Liam?” He said breezily. The condescending tone sent shivers down all of their spines that they tried to repress. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam swallowed thickly. “Of course, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Simon,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he corrected himself, the words sounding rough and unnatural in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Simon smiled in satisfaction at that, obviously proud of himself. Harry hated that. He hated the fact that, once again, they had folded underneath him to give Simon exactly what he wanted from them. The thought that they were already doing what he asked made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He wanted to leave. “Excellent,” Simon said, clasping his hands on the table. “Now onto business. How have you all been doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were doing good until you decided to call this meeting for no reason,” Niall snapped, his face hardened in Simon’s direction. His jaw was also clenched, to the point that Harry was vaguely worried of his actually snapping. His hands were clenched into fists, and he looked like he was doing his best to keep his composure, and struggling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Simon raised his eyebrows in response to that. “My, my, it seems as if temperatures are as high as ever. We’ll have to work on that,” he commented, looking in between Liam, Niall and Louis. He then looked at his coworkers and shook his head in amusement at them. “Grown up and still children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis inhaled sharply. “We aren’t children just because we don’t want to put up with your bullshit anymore,” he snapped, his words causing a few of the Management people to flinch back a little. Louis always had had a bite to his tone that made people be intimidated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, it didn’t work on Simon. He looked more amused by Louis’ tone than intimidated in any way. “I see,” he said sarcastically. “And clearly I’ll have to speak to the more </span>
  <em>
    <span>rational </span>
  </em>
  <span>members of the band, since it seems like Louis, Niall and Liam aren’t in a professional mindset.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re professional. We’re just pissed as well,” Louis snapped back, his eyes narrowing. Harry fought the urge to touch his leg again, instead having to hold it back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Simon rolled his eyes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyways</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he drawled, turning from Louis to look directly at Harry. “Harry, you seem to be at least slightly more rational than you band-members. How have you been?” His eyes then flicked up and down Harry’s body, before smirking. “You seem much better since last time we met.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry inhaled sharply as his last encounter with Simon came flooding back to him. It had been only a few weeks since Louis left him, and he had been obviously pregnant to the point where Simon had been able to tell within minutes of stepping into his office. That meeting had been the worst Harry had ever experienced, with him being a complete mess while Simon screamed at him. Simon had been shoving abortion papers in his face while he told him that it was the only option. The band was splitting up and Louis would never love him again, that he was already with Eleanor for real. Meanwhile Harry had been sitting there, alone, sobbing uncontrollably while he held the tiny bump protectively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shivered at the memory of Simon’s voice echoing through his mind. “Fuck off,” he whispered, his hands clenched together with his nails digging small crescent moons into his skin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Simon’s smile just grew, probably recalling the exact same memory of that meeting all those years ago. However, opposite from Harry, it only added to his amusement. “Such language,” he clucked. “You should be grateful for me. What’s that silly song you always sing about, Harry? Treat people with kindness?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grit his teeth together to keep from saying something. However, Zayn then decided to speak up for him. “That doesn’t apply to you,” the dark haired man snapped, his eyes narrowing. “Now leave Harry alone and stop acting like you care about us. Get to the point so that we can leave this fucking meeting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He said it with such a growl that surprised them. Zayn hardly ever stood up to Simon, always being too nervous or anxious. It was one reason why he had been the first to snap under the pressure and leave the band before the hiatus. So him growling with such force now to defend Harry took everyone by surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It even surprised Simon, as his smile dropped from his face and was instead replaced by a scowl. “Alright then,” he said tightly, his face drawing to a tight expression. He then reached into his briefcase and pulled out several papers. Contracts. He looked at each of them, before sliding the papers over. “Let’s get started.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis waited until they were finally out of the building to grab onto Harry’s hand and pull him into a tight hug. They were both exhausted from that meeting, where Simon and his team just wouldn’t stop shoving contract after contract in their faces. The other boys were also tired as well, but less so. They had all needed to put up with a bunch of contracts, but a lot had been Larry Stylinson stuff. Some had even been for beards. That was when Louis pulled out the big guns again and had argued and fought them relentlessly until Simon could growl and give in. It had been especially hard when they kept trying to shove Eleanor back at him, but thankfully, he had managed to fight that one off as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry just wrapped his arms around Louis’ shoulders while Louis grabbed onto his waist. Then Louis had buried his face into Harry’s neck, breathing deeply to calm his anger down while Harry could just stand there and let himself be used. Sometimes Harry would say something soothing or rub his back, but mostly he just let Louis take what he wanted for comfort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis tugged Harry closer until they were practically plastered together, standing in the parking lot of Simon’s building. He was trembling a little in anger and exhaust. His breath was coming out in short puffs, fanning across Harry’s neck. “I hate them,” he muttered, his fingers digging into the meat of Harry’s hips. “I hate this, I hate those contracts, I hate them, I hate Simon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed. “Me too. I hate them too, Lou. But you did it, yeah? You don’t need a beard anymore,” he said, trying to find the positive to the whole thing. It was the only thing he could think of doing when Louis was this frustrated and out of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Louis said, inhaling Harry’s scent again. Slowly, his fingers were starting to relax and the tension building up in his shoulders were starting to leave his body again. “We won’t have to see that bitch Eleanor anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pressed a kiss to his jaw in response. Louis was coming down quickly from whatever rage high he had been on, and was coming back to normal. His body was relaxing and he was clinging less to Harry, which was a sign that he was coming back to reality. Harry pulled away just a little bit to look the older man in the eyes. “Hey,” he said softly, searching him. “Are you back yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked a few times, his focus landing on Harry. “Yeah,” he said softly, inhaling slowly. “I’m back now. Sorry about losing control again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry just shot him a small smile, reaching up to cup his face. He thumbed his face, his smooth fingers running over the other man’s stubble. “It’s fine, Lou. I really don’t mind. And you don’t lose control, you just need a breather after those meetings, and I get it. And I don’t mind being the person you use,” he said gently. “We all have our stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty seven year old hummed at that. “We all have our stuff,” he repeated quietly. He seemed to be thinking about that for a minute, his eyes zoning out. Harry knew better than to snap him out of it, so he just waited, cocking his head to the side. Louis then looked down at him, his mouth curving upwards. “Do you want to get out of here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled, nodding vigorously. “Hell yes. It’s freezing,” he said, his hands burrowing themselves up his sleeves. He wasn’t used to snow and coldness after spending way too long of a time in LA. Louis just smiled at him, wrapping his arms around Harry’s shoulders and leading them towards his car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Harry smiled to himself as his hands pressed against the mug in his hands. The hot beverage inside of it radiated onto the glass mug, making him hum to himself. He loved the feeling of it, especially when it was so cold outside. It just warmed him right up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Louis were in a cafe of some sort. It was like a winter, lodge cafe or something- with wood walls, polished logs to sit on, employees all in plaid and a roaring fire in the corner of the room. It felt like they were in a cabin or a ski lodge or something, and Harry loved it. It was a great change or scenery from the scary meeting they had just come from. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis slid onto the chair across the table from Harry, with two plates in his hands. They both had cute little sandwiches on them with a side of bacon and cantaloupe. An odd combination, but Harry was all for it. “Here’s your ham and pickle sandwich,” Louis said, passing one of the plates to him while wrinkling his nose. “That employee looked at me like I had three heads when I asked for it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s good, though,” Harry pointed out, grabbing the plate and looking at it, his stomach already starting to rumble in hunger. “Thanks for getting it for me, Lou.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other man just smiled at him, reaching over to boop his nose. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty,” he teased, causing Harry to wrinkle his nose and smack his hand away. Louis let out a loud laugh in response. “I’m kidding, Haz. You’re welcome. I’ll always buy you pickle sandwiches, even though I didn’t know you even liked pickles.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t. Well, I didn’t. I just started liking them a few days ago and I can’t get enough of them,” he said, already picking up the sandwich to take a bite of it. But he paused, before looking back at Louis. “By the way, we need to go to the store. I think we’re out of pickles again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smirked and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll buy your pickles. Now hush and eat your sandwich and stop thinking of things for me to do,” he said, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth. He sighed to himself as he ate it. Harry smiled, knowing that Louis loved his bacon when it was cooked a specific way. This bacon must have passed his test. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good bacon?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. Louis didn’t respond, since he was too busy chomping on his bacon, but he nodded his head enthusiastically in response. But that didn’t stop a piece of food to fly out of his mouth and land halfway across the table. “Gross, Lou,” Harry giggled, wrinkling his nose. “You’re so messy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis swallowed and reached over to grab the stray piece, before throwing it back in his mouth. “Oh hush it,” he snapped affectionately, his eyes narrowing. “Now eat your pickles and hot chocolate, you child.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them then sat in silence for a few minutes while they ate. A few times they would talk about something quick or comment on something else, but mostly they just put a pause on conversation while they finished eating. It wasn’t long, since Louis was a naturally fast eater and Harry practically devoured his entire meal at all once. It was only a few minutes and then they were sitting together, sipping on their drinks as they watched the fire a few feet away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sipped his hot chocolate, before turning to Louis. “Hey,” he said softly. “You said you wanted to ask me something earlier?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis inhaled slowly, swallowing the gulp of tea that was in his mouth as he slowly lowered his mug onto the table. He then looked over at Harry, his blue eyes reflecting something that looked somewhat desperate, which was odd since Louis almost never got desperate for anything. “Yeah,” he said slowly, his voice low and soft and serious. “I actually do have something that I want to ask you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was clearly going to be a serious talk. Harry nodded, placing his own mug down on the couch. “What is it?” He asked, somewhat nervously. “Did something happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His tone made Louis’ face soften. “It’s nothing bad, Haz,” he said reassuringly, his free hand reaching over to hold onto Harry’s hand. On instinct, Harry threaded their fingers together, causing Louis to smile and squeeze his hand as he continued. “As you know, we’ve been kind of doing this thing for a while…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That made Harry frown. “Thing? What are you on about?” He asked in confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We sleep together, Haz. We have sex, I make you breakfast, we cuddle when you’re sad, you let me lean on you after the meeting today. And the twins have started calling me ‘papa,’” he said gently, his thumb running over the smooth skin of Harry’s hand. “But we haven’t labeled anything. We’re not really </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span> together…</span>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s frown deeped at that and he sat up straighter, his fingers starting to lose their grip on Louis’ hand. “Are you saying you want to stop this?” He asked, his stomach dropping down to the ground. Louis’ eyes widened and he latched onto Harry’s hand before he could pull away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Harry, of course not!” He exclaimed, intertwining their fingers again and pulling Harry closer. “The opposite, love. What I wanted to ask was…” he took a deep breath before looking Harry in the eyes. “Harry, will you be my boyfriend?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stopped suddenly. It was like the world just suddenly froze in place. Time stopped as soon as those words left Louis’ mouth. Everything that had been going on around them just disappeared and it was just him and Louis. His mouth parted open in surprise, but no words came out. He just blinked at the other man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face fell. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be now- I get if you’re not ready or if you even don’t want to. I just got the impression, since things were going so well, that you might want to… nevermind. This was stupid, I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Harry said, interrupting him mid sentence. He blinked at Louis a few more times, a tiny smile starting to tug at his own lips. He scooched closer to the other man, squeezing his hand. “Yes, Lou.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Louis’ turn to look shocked now. He blinked a few times, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. “You do?” the twenty seven year old choked out, his mouth parting open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded again, smiling as he moved even closer so that he was almost completely against the other man. He then leaned over, capturing Louis’ parted lips into his own. He smiled to himself when Louis started kissing back almost immediately. Harry pulled away just enough to talk, their lips still pressed together. “Of course I want to be your boyfriend, Louis,” he hummed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled at that, his hands coming up to cup Harry’s face as he pulled him closer. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think... comments make me write faster :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to everyone who’s been reading and commenting so far!! Just a warning, this is a short one and really just a transition chapter. But the next chapter will make up for it ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>February 1, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry woke up to the feeling of being pressed against another body. His naked back was pressed against someone else's chest, and he could feel it move with each breath that they took. Two arms were wrapped around Harry’s waist, holding him protectively in place. Harry sighed to himself, settling back in Louis’ hold. He could get used to waking up like this every morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis was still obviously fast asleep, which meant that it had to be extra early. Usually Louis was the first one up, ready to make Harry some breakfast and be there for morning cuddles when he woke up. However this time, Harry was the first one up which meant that it had to be very early in the morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked awake, yawning quietly to himself. Today was a good day, he could tell already. First, to be waking up in his </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>arms, with his scent surrounding him, it was the best start of the day he could ask for. Second of all, his kids were coming back from England today after being there for a few days. It had been hard for him to not see them in person, even with their nightly facetime calls, and he was relieved and happy that they were coming back today. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And finally, today was his birthday. He was twenty five today, and it really was the best start to a new age that he had had in a long time. Nothing was going to ruin this day for him, because it was already perfect. He had Louis, his kids, the boys, they were on tour, etc. Everything was perfect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry turned around, doing his best not to jostle Louis too much as he turned to face the older man. Louis was still fast asleep, his face completely relaxed. Usually, Harry didn’t get to see Louis’ face while sleeping since they went to bed at the same time and Louis was usually the first one up. So waking up to see him asleep still was something that Harry was glad about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His gaze trailed over his sleeping face, taking in how the usual eye wrinkles were smooth and his face was relaxed. He didn’t look stressed or worried at all, which Harry loved. He was just at peace, still sleeping blissfully, unaware of everything going on around him. It was nice for a change. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or, at least, the peace was nice until Harry got a better idea. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He bit down on his lip with a smirk as he slowly shimmied out of Louis’ grip. Louis grunted a little in his sleep, his brows crinkling as the younger man pulled away, but his face soon relaxed after a few seconds. His arms fell limp at his side, before he fell back to sleep again. That gave Harry the chance to sneak underneath of the blankets, crawling downwards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The newly twenty five year old positioned himself so that he was lying in between his boyfriend’s legs. It was a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t care. He then shimmied upwards until his face was in line with Louis’ hips. He was glad that he both slept completely naked, since it just made his plan all the more easier. It also helped that Louis almost always woke up with morning wood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Feeling excited, and a little naughty, Harry opened his mouth to stick his tongue out. Then, with a smirk and a racing heart, he leaned down to lick a stripe up Louis’ legenth. He felt the older man shiver in his sleep at the feeling of it, only prompting Harry on. He did it again, this time stopping at the end to swirl his tongue around the head of his dick. Louis’ hips jutted a little bit, his breath hitching in his sleep. But he didn’t wake up, much to Harry’s amusement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few more times, Harry was done teasing and decided it was time to just go for it. He relaxed his throat, before lowering himself down onto the now erect penis. It was a little hard to get used to, since he hadn’t given a blow-job in forever and wasn’t used to it. Plus, Louis was not small by any means, and it took a little while to adjust his mouth to fit around the entire thing. Then he covered what his mouth couldn’t reach with his hands. Then he started sucking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With both his hands and his mouth, Harry pumps him a few times to a somewhat fast pace. Louis wasn’t awake yet, but it was obviously by the noises coming from his mouth that he still knew what was going on in his sleeping haze. Harry was also making noises from the back of his throat, doing his best not to gag as Louis’ hips seemed to come to life. They would buck up into his throat unconsciously causing Harry to choke, but he still didn’t stop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ hands unconsciously latch onto Harry’s hair, fisting his curls while Harry moves his head up and down. Louis’ hips thrust upwards, fucking his mouth while Harry does his best not to gag on the dick in his mouth. He could feel that Louis was close and he wasn’t going to ruin it by pulling off before he finished. One particular thrust brought tears to Harry’s eyes at the force of it, but he loved it. He sucked even harder, feeling Louis tremble underneath him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry,” Louis’ groggy and broken moan called out, only prompting Harry to keep going. His hips thrust upwards again, this time harder so that it hit the back of his throat. “God, shit, Harry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His whole body then shivered with force before he was spilling into Harry’s mouth. Pulling away wasn’t an option, since Louis’ hands were still clutching his hair forcefully, but it didn’t matter. Harry was determined to swallow anyways. He swallowed the majority of the cum that spilled into his mouth, before he pulled away with a broken cough as the rest smeared over his face and Louis’ stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Louis stopped moaning and fell silent. Then two hands were reaching under the blankets and grabbing onto Harry, helping him up to the top of the bed again. Harry’s head popped out of the covers, looking at Louis’ groggy and sleep-induced face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked a few times at him as he woke up. He then furrowed his brows. “Harry, did you just blow me?” He asked, his eyes widening when Harry nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Early bird gets the worm?” Harry tried to supply, before his voice gave out. His throat felt like it was on fire after that, still stinging from Louis almost choking him in his sleep. He sounded rough and very, very broken, making him wince at both the pain and the sound of it. He at least hoped Louis wouldn’t notice how bad he sounded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But of course Louis would notice right away. His eyes widened at the sound of the younger man’s voice, sitting up in concern. “Shit, Harry, you’re voice… I didn’t hurt you did I?” He asked, his hands coming up to cup Harry’s face as he inspected it. It was like he was searching for a sign that Harry was okay, which just made the younger man smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Lou,” he said, reaching up to touch his hands. Louis still looked concerned and disbelieving. He always had a way of telling when Harry was lying, and it was almost impossible for him to get away with lying because of it. He shot Louis a small smile. “Really, Lou. I mean, you went kinda hard but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I’m just disappointed I couldn’t swallow it all…” He looked down at his hands, which were still covered in cum.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked at him, his face incredulous. “Harry, I wasn’t expecting you to do any of that, let alone swallow!” He exclaimed, shaking his head from side to side in disbelief. He had a smile on his face though, which showed that he wasn’t mad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, looking down at his hands nervously. “Did you, uh, did you like it?” He asked softly, his voice coming out squeaky and rough, making him wince at the sound of it. God, he was a mess. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older man’s face softened. “Of course I liked it, babe. You’re incredible. Come here,” he said, before his hands reached over for Harry, pulling the younger man into his lap. Harry went with him easily, letting himself be pulled against Louis, where he curled against him comfortably. Louis wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder. “Are you sure you’re alright, love? Your voice sounds pretty fucked up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry just snuggled against him some more. “I’m okay. I like when you go hard,” he commented with a blush, his face turning a dark shade of pink. He could feel Louis smirking at that, and he cleared his throat. “Besides, I wanted to do it as a present.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed at that. “That’s right, birthday boy. Hard to believe my little Hazza is twenty five,” he commented, resting his chin onto Harry’s shoulder while he wrapped his sweaty arms around his stomach. “Seems like yesterday you were just a little sixteen year old singing on the X-Factor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry just hummed at that, leaning back to rest his back against Louis’ chest. “You’re starting to sound as nostalgic as my mum, Lou,” he said with a small giggle. “I’m gonna get enough of the ‘my baby is getting so old’ from her today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi,” Louis exclaimed, nudging his younger boyfriend at that comment. “Don’t compare me to your mother. Especially not when I’m about to be giving you a birthday blowie.” Harry stopped giggling at that, inhaling sharply. Louis’ hands then dropped from his stomach to cup around his own dick, which was painfully hard after giving Louis a blowjob. He shivered hotly as Louis started to touch him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, Lou,” he said in a hushed voice as Louis started to fondle him. His hands were clutching at the sheets as he shivered with pleasure. Louis hadn’t even done anything yet and he was already starting to fall apart in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just hummed in pleasure. “Like that, babe?” He cooed, his voice vibrating against where Harry’s skin was pressed against him. “Just you wait a second and I can make this feel so good for you, birthday boy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Harry knew what was happening, Louis was lifting him up and climbing out from under him. Harry barely even noticed, just doing his best not to come yet. It was hard, since Louis maneuvered himself around without even taking his hands off of Harry, but he held off since he knew that Louis wanted to be the one to repay him. So, with clenched fists, he held off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was only a few moments before Harry felt a hot and wet mouth encompassing him, causing a gasp to escape his mouth. “Louis,” he breathed, his hands flying down to latch onto Louis’ hair. Louis just took that as motivation to keep moving, bobbing his head up and down in a perfected rhythm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry made sure to keep his hips planted on the bed, not wanting to choke Louis as the older man shimmied his mouth further down his member. But he couldn’t stop the broken and rough moans that escaped from his mouth. Louis was going down deeper when Harry felt his control slipping. “Lou- M’ gonna- gonna-” he reached down to tug at Louis’ hair as a warning, but the other man didn’t pull off. In an embarrassing amount of time, Harry was spilling himself into Louis’ mouth with a soft cry. Louis swallowed every last drop masterfully, before coming off of his dick with a ‘pop’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry flopped back into the pillows with a sigh while Louis crawled back up to him. The older man then laid down next to him again, running his fingers through his curls. “You alright there, babe?” He asked softly, checking in on the younger man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was embarrassing,” Harry mumbled in response, covering his face with his hands. “I lasted, like, three minutes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Louis said softly, his hands coming down to pry Harry’s hands out of his face. Harry looked up at him with wide eyes, biting his bottom lip sheepishly as he watched the older man. Louis brushed a lock of hair out of his face. “You’re fine. It doesn’t matter how long you last, Harry. I just care if I get you off or not, other than that it’s all about you. I wouldn’t care if it was three hours or thirty seconds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry chewed on his lip. “Still,” he mumbled, looking down. “I should be able to last longer than that. I’m twenty five for god’s sake.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And when’s the last time you had a blow job? What has it been, five years?” Louis shot back, causing Harry to shut his mouth. The younger man then nodded silently, biting onto his bottom lip. “Oh you poor boy. You can’t expect yourself to just bounce back. You did good, Hazza. And, if you want, we’ll have plenty of time to work on it.” He finished by pressing a kiss to Harry’s nose, making him blush. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we work on it more today?” Harry asked, looking up at him with a coy and hopeful expression. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just smirked, leaning down to pinch his cheek. “Anything you want, birthday boy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They were just sitting on the couch, all of them chilling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s birthday had been so much fun. First of all, the twins had come back and he got to spend the day with them. First, he and Louis took the kids out to play in the snow (since it had snowed the night before and they weren’t used to the cold weather after living in LA.) Then they had decided to bake cookies, which was Harry’s personal favourite activity. Then they had all gathered around to watch some movies together. Harry had been curled up against Louis, with Robbie sitting in between his legs while Allie leaned against Louis’ shoulder. It had been like they were finally one, small family. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the day had finished, however, it was time to have the boys come over for the party. Louis had planned the entire thing (working closely with Niall, who had planned all of Harry’s previous birthdays for the past couple of years) and had made it one big surprise for Harry. The boys had all come over, alone with Gigi, Ollie and the kids. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall walked over to Harry as soon as he walked into the hotel room. “Hazza!” He exclaimed, bear hugging the curly haired singer. “Happy birthday you big boy!” He wrapped his arms tightly around Harry, before lifting him off of the ground, causing the air to leave his lungs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Ni,” he gasped, patting the other man on the shoulder. “Love you, man. Now can you, uh, put me down? I can’t breathe.” Niall nodded, before setting him back down onto the ground. Harry then wrapped his arms around his probably bruising ribs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis walked over, before wrapping an arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulling him into his side. “Hey, try not to kill him just yet, eh Niall?” He said, his eyes twinkling as he pulled Harry into his side. Harry leaned his head onto his shoulder instinctively. “At least wait until his birthday is over. Then you can have at him all you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pouted. “You guys are so mean,” he pouted, jutting out his bottom lip. “I shouldn’t have to put up with this bullying on my birthday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Niall just smirked at him in response, leaning down to boop him on the nose. “Suck it up, big baby,” he said, pretending to pout to mock the younger man. Harry just scowled and tried to hit Niall, but the blond man just cackled and stepped out of the way easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate you guys,” the twenty five year old man mumbled to himself, hiding his face in Louis’ shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just chuckled a little, running a hand through his boyfriend’s hair. “I’m sorry, lovely. How about we go get the cake, hmm? Would a big slice of birthday cake make you feel better, birthday boy?” He cooed into his ear. Harry’s face brightened immediately. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s cake?” He asked excitedly. He then nodded his head up and down vigorously. “Yeah,yeah, go get the cake! I’m starving!” He then pushed Louis out of the hug, shooing him off. Louis just chuckled, shaking his head a little, but heading off to get the cake nonetheless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Louis had left, Niall reached over to grab Harry by the arm and pull him closer. Harry barely even flinched, already expecting Niall to pull him over at some point during the night. The blond man pulled him closer, wrapping an arm around him. “So,” he said, talking quietly into his ear so that only Harry could hear. “You and Louis have gotten awfully close.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed thickly, trying to act as normal as possible. He and Louis had decided to tell everyone that they were dating tonight, but they were going to do it together. “Yeah,” he said thickly. “I guess you could say that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh stop acting innocent, H,” Niall interrupted him, rolling his eyes. Harry never could lie to Louis or Niall- the two of them knew him too well for that. “The two of you haven’t left each other’s sides since Christmas, and that was over a month ago. So I want to know what’s going.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry just shrugged, really hoping that he was doing at least a decent job of accruing oblivious. He had been in a movie for god’s sake, so he should at least be able to act natural in front of his best friend. “Nothing,” he answered back, not even bothering to elaborate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you hooking up?” Niall pressed, persistent as always. “Because I wouldn’t be that surprised if you were. We all know that you two did the dirty deed on Christmas- pretty sure everyone in the entire neighbourhood could hear you. And I would be okay with it if you were, you know. I’d have to have a few words with Louis, threaten to cut his balls off if he hurts you and all that jazz. I just want to know, you know. And if you are I want to make sure you’re doing it right. No more accidents this time, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the end of it, Harry just rolled his eyes and shoved Niall’s arm off. “Niall,” he said, turning to look at the blond man with a raised eyebrow. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking unimpressed. “Leave me alone. I would tell you if you needed to know. I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Like you said, I’m a big boy now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall didn’t step closer or rise to the bait. He just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, H. I trust you,” he said with a small nod. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again. Last time… last time you barely made it through in one piece.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry inhaled sharply, before shooting him a tight smile. “I appreciate it, Niall. I do. I just need to do some things on my own,” he said. “Now I’m starving. I’m gonna go see what Louis’ doing to that cake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if reading his mind, Louis walked in just a moment later, holding a big vanilla cake in his arms. The cake was actually huge- both long and tall. It was covered in white frosting with yellow sunflowers drawn onto the sides. There were silver, edible pearls on the top as well, only adding to the beauty of the cake. Harry’s eyes widened at the sight of it. On the top were two sparklers, causing flames to lick upwards and illuminate the now dark room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Happy birthday to you,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Louis started to sing, his raspy voice singing softly. Harry looked at him with a bright expression, biting on his lip. Everyone else started singing as well, but he could only really hear Louis above all of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the song was finished, Robbie ran over to his dad, clapping his hands excitedly. “Come on, daddy!” He shouted excitedly. “Blow out your cake!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With everyone around him, Harry closed his eyes and dramatically blew out his candle with only one wish in mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>For everything to always stay like this. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Louis, who had been holding the cake up for him, cheered as he blew it out. Everyone started clapping, which only made Harry giggle to himself. “Okay let’s eat!” He exclaimed to them, which only made them cheer louder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis put the cake onto the gigantic table while Liam busied himself getting plates, forks and cups for everyone. Louis passed Harry the knife for him to cut the first piece, as their birthday tradition followed. Harry sunk the knife into the huge cake, before swiping his fingers over it to lick the frosting  off of the knife. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now get in Louis’ lap!” Gigi exclaimed from the other end of the room as Louis sat down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked at him nervously, eyeing him over like he wasn’t sure what to do. But Louis wasn’t having any of that and he smiled at the younger man, patting his thighs. “Come here, birthday boy,” he said with a wide grin, tugging Harry closer by his wrist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at that, his face relaxing in relief as he nearly skipped over to Louis. He smiled so that his dimples popped out as he swung a leg over the other side of Louis’ legs and secured his bum over his thighs, his legs dangling over either edge. Louis’ hands flew down to help balance him, and just so happened to grab onto his bum tightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry giggled as he did so, leaning down to his ear. “Trying to cop a feel, Lou?” He asked softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just smirked. “Just trying to make sure you don’t fall and hit your pretty little head,” he answered back. “And if I happen to be copping a feel, I won’t complain about that either.” That only made Harry’s dimples pop out even more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So,” Zayn said, interrupting the moment. He had a raised eyebrow and a knowing expression on his face. “What did you wish for, H?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at him, looking from Louis to the kids. “I can’t say or else it won’t come true,” he said with a smile. And he really, desperately wanted it to come true, which meant that he wasn’t going to be taking any chances. But at everyone’s slightly disappointed expressions, he gave in just a little. “But, Louis and I do have something to tell you guys…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You're having another baby?” Blurted Gigi, her eyes widening. Everyone’s heads snapped over towards Louis and Harry at that, all of them with a mix of shock written on their faces. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no!” Harry said hastily, blinking in surprise, completely caught off guard. “Of course not. That’s not… that’s not what I was going to say. What I was going to say is… Louis and I are dating again!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a beat of silence. Then another beat of silence. Harry was starting to wonder if this was a bad idea. They would probably be angry, either with him for not deserving Louis or at Louis for not deserving him. He was getting nervous until…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“FINALLY!” Liam shouted, dropping the paper plates that had been in his hands. Harry and Louis both looked over to him in surprise, only to see that he had a relieved expression on his face. “I’ve been waiting for the two of you to get over yourselves and get back together! And it’s finally happening!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis blinked. “What?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh don’t look so surprised!” Gigi said, adding on as she also stood up. She looked just as excited/relieved as Liam, maybe even more so. “We’ve all been waiting for months now for the two of you to realize that you’re complete messes without each other! God, I can’t believe it’s taken this long. But- yay!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not… upset or anything?” Harry asked, furrowing his brows as he looked at each of them. He had expected people to at least be shocked about it, if not angry or upset. But he certainly hadn’t thought that they would be happy about it, let alone relieved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course not, Harry,” Liam said, stepping closer to the two of them as he lowered his voice. “Look, we all had our own opinion on what went down between you and Louis, about who screwed who over. But the truth is that it really isn’t our business. You two have a different story than any of us could understand, but we do see that you're so much better together than you were apart. Harry, let’s admit it, you were a complete mess. And Louis kept blowing up in everyone’s faces. The only thing that makes sense with the two of you is how much better you are together, and I think everyone can clearly see that. And just look, you two made those two perfect little angels over there. And if you can do something like that together, then you must be doing something right. So, no, we definitely aren’t upset.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the end of Liam’s monologue, Harry’s lower lip was trembling. He sniffled, bringing his hands up to wipe his face. “I love you guys so much!” He cried, jumping over towards Liam. Liam looked a little shocked by that reaction, but caught Harry and returned the hug anyways. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We love you too, H,” Liam answered back, pressing a quick peck to the side of his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis sighed as he laid down in the bed that night. The kids were all fast asleep, and it was just him and Harry left after the party had finished less than an hour ago. Harry was already lying in bed, half asleep as it was. Louis then climbed under the covers, before reaching over for the younger man, pulling him close to spoon him like they always did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Hazza?” He whispered softly in the dark. “Are you still awake?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded sleepily. “Yeah,” he croaked, blinking his eyes closed. “Barely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you have a good birthday?” Louis asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked up at that, peering over his shoulder to look Louis in the eyes. He then smiled dopily. “It was the best,” he hummed honestly. “It was perfect, Lou. Thank you.” Louis leant down to press a goodnight kiss to his lips, before they both drifted off to sleep with smiles on their faces. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again, sorry it’s so short. The next one will be much better so stay tuned for that :)</p><p>Let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Harry took a step back. “It’s not,” he said, shaking his head from side to side. He blinked quickly a few times, trying to get a hold of himself. “Whatever you think it is… you’re wrong. It’s not… I’m not… that’s not what this is. You’re wrong, Liam.”</p><p>Liam bit his lip sympathetically. “Harry, you have to think rationally,” he said calmly, trying to reassure Harry as he took a step closer to the younger man. “You have to pee all the time, you’re constantly hungry, you’re more tired everyday, the morning sickness…”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HAPPY NEW YEAR!!</p><p>Right now it is 1 am here which means that it is officially 2021!! Woo hoo! 2020 was a pretty crappy year, but we made it! Everyone deserves to go stream We Made It by Louis Tomlinson. Definitely describes how I’m feeling about all of this. </p><p>Anyways, it’s earlier than usual but here you go!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>February 11, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry woke up with a loud groan. His back was killing him. It was sore and achy from sleeping in the same position all night. He brought a hand up to his face lazily, rubbing his eyes with it. He couldn’t open his eyes yet, still savouring the last moments of sleep. He was tired as hell, even after getting ten whole hours of sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But despite getting all that sleep, he was still bone tired. It was kind of strange, since Harry was usually awake and ready in the mornings. But he hasn’t been lately. Lately he’s been always sore and tired in the morning. All Harry wanted to do was roll over and fall back asleep. Or maybe go over to the couch and spend the day lazing around watching movies and eating junk. Or maybe reading in the comfortable chairs outside. Something calm and relaxing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was actually about to do that when he heard voices coming from the other room. It was the sound of voices. Or more specifically, the voices of the other boys. Harry had almost forgotten that they were all supposed to spend the day together in his room that day. They had already planned out a boys’ day, complete with breakfast, day out in the town, and then having a mini party. It had seemed like a great idea when they had scheduled it, but now Harry wasn’t so sure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to get out of his bed, let alone have an entire busy day out and about. He just wanted to curl into himself and take a day to just sleep and watch movies. Was that too much to ask for?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently it was, because the boys were over at his room at that moment, all of them talking and laughing loudly together. They weren’t even doing it quietly, much to Harry’s disappointment, and there was no way he was going to be able to fall back to sleep with them all in the room, chatting away together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, there was the sound of footsteps walking towards the bedroom door. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, hoping whoever was on the other side of the door would take the hint and leave him alone to sleep for just a little bit longer. But there was no such luck when the person started knocking on the door. “Time to wakey wakey, Hazzy!” Niall’s muffled voice sang from the other side of the door. “We have breakfast for you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry groaned, grabbing the blankets and pulling them over his head. “Leave me alone,” he muttered back, just loud enough for the blond man to hear. “I’m sleeping.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall let out a small, merry laugh. “No you’re not, silly!” He said, cheerfully. It was odd, since he wasn’t usually a morning person. It just so happened that the one time Harry actually wanted to sleep, Niall also happened to be wide awake. “Come on, Hazza! We’re coming in with your food!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There wasn’t another warning before the door was being pushed open. Harry groaned to himself as he closed his eyes to block out in incoming light from the hallway. It was like he was a vampire hiding from the sun by the looks of it, burrowed under the blankets to avoid the light. He even hissed a little. “Niall,” he whined pathetically. “Go away. I’m sleeping.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it wasn’t Niall who spoke next. “Sorry, Harry,” Zayn said, his voice also sounding wide awake and happy as well. “It’s boys’ day! And you can’t sleep through it. Now get up and eat this breakfast we whipped up for you while you were lying here, sleeping in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry frowned at the mention of their special day. He really wished that they would forget about it so that he could finally get some sleep. Not that he didn’t want to spend the day with them- he loved when they did that, especially since they hardly ever did it because of their busy schedules. But today just wasn’t the day for him. He was tired, weak, cold and nauseous. As much as he wanted to spend the day with his best friends, staying in bed sounded a lot better to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he decided to say so. “What if we changed boys’ day to another day?” He suggested tiredly, popping his head out of the blankets to see all four of the boys looking at him. They raised their eyebrows at that. “Can we do it tomorrow instead? I don’t wanna do it today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall rolled his eyes. “Stop whining, H,” he said, hopping onto the bed as well. Harry winced as it moved with him, making his stomach lurch. “You know we can’t do it another day. Today is one of the only days that we have free for the longest time. So come on and get your ass out of this bed so that we can go have some fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Harry was stubborn. “I don’t wanna,” he complained, pushing his face into the pillow. He felt queasy, but shoved the feeling downwards. He was very determined not to be sick today, especially when the other boys were around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis cocked his head to the side, a look of confusion flashing across his face. “Why don’t you?” He urged, sitting down on the bed. He looked a little concerned as well, his eyes scanning the younger man’s face carefully. “You always like going out on the city on our free days? Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked over at Louis out of the corner of his eye, biting his lip. He was considering telling Louis about how he felt- that he felt crappy and just wanted to stay home and sleep. Maybe even watch movies or read or something like that. Maybe if he told Louis how he felt, Louis would stay in bed with him. Cuddles would be really nice right about now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But before he could respond, Niall was ripping his blankets off of him, causing him to yelp in surprise. He thanked every god in the sky that he had opted to wear pajamas that night instead of going naked. “Too bad!” Niall exclaimed loudly, causing Harry to wince. “Today is our day to have fun and you’re not going to ruin it for us because you want to sleep in. Come on, Harry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s stomach lurched again as he shivered, now feeling very exposed and cold. He reached up for his friend blindly. “Niall, give it back!” He whined weakly as he reached up to try and grab the blankets back. But Niall just kept hoping out of the way, dodging him easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’, prancing around with the blankets. “Time to get up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry whimpered at that, causing one of the boys to take mercy on him. “I know something that will make you feel better and wake you up,” Liam piped up, stepping towards the bed. He then brought his hands out from where they were holding something behind his back. It was a plate. “We made you some breakfast!” He said, obviously proud of himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a nice gesture. The food looked nicely prepared with a bunch of delicious looking food. They had made waffles for breakfast, and it was designed carefully on the plate. There was one waffle in the middle, covered in blueberries and drizzled in chocolate sauce. Then there was a dish of orange slices and three pieces of warm bacon as the side. It looked really yummy, something that anyone would love to eat. And they served it to him in bed, which was even better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or, at least, it would have been a nice gesture if it was anyone else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was Harry, and the gesture was less than pleasant for him. He looked at the food once, and then that was all he could smell. It was like his sense had suddenly become heightened and the food was just flooding his nose. Which normally would have been nice. But, instead of smelling yummy, it made Harry’s stomach lurch dangerously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He clamped a hand over his mouth as he felt the bile start to rise up in the back of his throat. He jumped into action, hopping up on his bed before rushing to the end of the bed. He shoved Liam and Zayn out of the way without a warning, before sprinting out of the bedroom. He stumbled and staggered a little bit as he made a mad dash for the washroom, the vomit quickly starting to rise into his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had just enough time to throw the washroom door open and collapse to his knees. His hands managed to clutch onto the toilet seat, before the puke was spilling from his mouth. His jaw was forced open as he hurled into the white toilet bowl. It was followed by the violent sound of him retching, the sound of it echoing in the hotel room and bouncing off of the washroom walls. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was too busy puking his guts out to register the sound of several footsteps rushing into the washroom after him until there were four men gathered in the doorway. “Shit, ew,” Zayn gasped, a hand immediately reaching up to plug his nose. “That’s nasty.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face fell as he saw what was going on. “Oh shit, Haz. Not again,” he said quietly, walking towards the puking man. He crouched down next to Harry, reaching over to gather his hair out of his face while the twenty five year old continued hurling. He winced a little as the vomit splashed into the toilet bowl. “This keeps happening, doesn’t it, love?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam frowned, watching the pair of them careful. “Keeps happening? This has happened before?” He asked slowly, his eyes narrowing at Harry specifically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since Harry was too occupied vomiting violently into the toilet, Louis answered for him. “Yeah, like everyday basically for the past little while,” he answered, wincing again as Harry let out another violent retch, followed by the sound of the puke hitting the water. “You must have caught some sort of stomach bug or something, hmm?” He said gently to his boyfriend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or something…” Liam murmured quietly, his eyes still narrowed in thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall raised his eyebrows. “Well that was ominous,” he commented, stepping out of the room. “Anyways, you two got this. I’m just going to step out of here. Love you, H, but this is just disgusting. I’ll see you guys when you’re done in here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He then walked out, closely followed by Zayn. Liam went with them too, but not until he cast Harry a very suspicious look. Then it was just  the two of them together in the washroom- Harry puking while Louis did his best to reassure him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing great, love,” Louis cooed gently, running his hands through the other’s curls. Harry closed his eyes, which were now teary from the force of his puking, as he coughed up the last of his vomit. And then he was done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry finished retching, and then rocked back onto his heels, feeling exhausted. He rested his back against Louis’ letting the other man comfort him by wrapping an arm around his waist while the other hand threaded through his curls. “Feel gross,” Harry mumbled tiredly, closing his eyes again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I bet,” Louis said gently, pressing his lips against the skin of his boyfriend’s temple. His voice was soft, which Harry really appreciated. “You should have told me you were feeling sick. I would have made them leave you alone to sleep, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t know until it was too late,” the twenty five year old answered weakly. “I only really knew I was going to puke when Liam pulled out the food. The smell was just really strong and set me over the edge, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed. “Strange. I didn’t even smell anything,” he commented mindlessly, his fingers tugging and working their way through the knots in the younger man’s curls. “I can get them to reschedule the boys’ day. That’s not the problem. But we should really find out why you’re always so sick in the mornings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed thickly. “Yeah…” he mumbled offhandedly, looking downwards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them stayed in the room for a few more minutes to get themselves ready. Harry brushed his teeth quickly while Louis got him some comfortable clothes for him to change into. They then waited until Harry felt ready enough to head out, before they walked into the living room again together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But as they walked in, they immediately saw that something was wrong. Zayn, Llam and Niall were all gathered on the couch together, serious expressions on their faces. Zayn was on the phone with someone, his face tight. Plus, it was quiet which was never a good thing when it came to the three of them. They did not look happy at all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay. Bye,” Zayn said to the person on the phone. His voice was tight as well. He then hung it up and threw it back onto the couch with a long sigh. “Management wants us to come in for work today,” he said heavily, running a hand through his hair. “They want to do another sound check because last time hadn’t been ‘satisfactory.’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face tightened as well. “Uh, no,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s not happening. For one, it’s our day off and I am not going to go to work for my day off. Second of all, we already did one of their soundchecks and it’s not our fault that they screwed it up. And finally, Harry’s sick. We’re not going in. Call them back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry reached over to touch Louis’ arm. “Hey,” he said softly, looking at him with wide eyes. “I’m fine. We can have a day off another day. Let’s just do what they want- it always ends badly when we don’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Louis, ever the stubborn one, shook his head. “No, Harry. They don’t get to take away our day off just because they feel like it. And you’re not fine- if you were fine you wouldn’t have spent the morning puking. So, Z, call them back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis dropped his hand from Harry’s before the younger man could reply. Louis then walked over to Zayn, who was calling them back. He then picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear, the fuel of what he was going to say making his face hard. Louis really was very stubborn when it came to days off and Harry, and they all knew there was no getting into him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam silently stood up, walking towards Harry. No one noticed since they were too caught up in the call. Management must have picked up the call, since Louis, Zayn and Niall all gathered close to the phone at that instant, probably all ready to give the team a piece of their minds. But Liam walked over to Harry, walking over to whisper into his ear. “Hey,” he said softly. “Can we talk?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hesitated. It sounded kind of serious and he didn’t know if he wanted to involve himself in a serious conversation just yet. But Liam was looking at him with wide, meaningful eyes, so he had to say yes. “Yeah, sure,” he said easily. “What’s up, Li?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing. “Well, it’s kind of about what happened this morning… about you throwing up to be specific,” he said. Harry fell silent, swallowing as well. His friend continued. “Louis said that it had been happening a lot recently, and he also said it’s been happening in the mornings. Do you think it’s maybe…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a stomach bug,” the curly haired singer said determinedly, his jaw tightening as he subconsciously clenched it.  “Or the flu. Or food poisoning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe. That’s a good possibility too,” Liam said, nodding his head vigorously. His hand reached out to touch Harry on the arm, catching him by surprise and causing him to jump a little. “But Harry, have you thought that maybe it could possibly be… something else…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry took a step back. “It’s not,” he said, shaking his head from side to side. He blinked quickly a few times, trying to get a hold of himself. “Whatever you think it is… you’re wrong. It’s not… I’m not… that’s not what this is. You’re wrong, Liam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam bit his lip sympathetically. “Harry, you have to think rationally,” he said calmly, trying to reassure Harry as he took a step closer to the younger man. “You have to pee all the time, you’re constantly hungry, you’re more tired everyday, the morning sickness…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry raised his hands to stop him. “Stop it, Liam. Just stop,” he said, closing his eyes again as he stepped backwards as well. “It’s not what you think it is, so just stop. You’re wrong, Liam. It’s a stomach bug… or the flu… anything other than what you think it is. So just stop it and leave me alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Niall’s voice said, coming out of nowhere. He stepped over to the pair of them. Niall looked from each of the men, his face reflecting concern and confusion. “What’s going on over here? Are you guys okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re fine,” Harry said, before Liam even had the chance to open his mouth, let alone respond. Harry looked over at Niall, nodding his head. “We’re fine. What happened with Management? Are we going in today or do we get the day off?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We’re going in,” he said tiredly, looking at them with sympathy. “Lou did everything he could, but they’re insisting. We have to go in, at least for a few hours. Sorry guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Harry said quickly, causing Niall to look at him with surprise. “Let’s just go. The sooner we go, the sooner we can leave.” He then headed over to the doors, causing the boys to watch him in confusion. Liam just shook his head with a small sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, I thought this was just supposed to be a soundcheck,” Harry said, grunting a little as he balanced three cardboard boxes in his arms. The boxes weren’t actually that heavy- probably only five pounds each and something he could definitely carry. But it was really hard to see where he was going and his arms were getting tired from carrying them for so long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie nodded, holding his own boxes in his arms too. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I thought I was just coming here to watch you guys sing. I didn’t think I was going to have to be lugging around boxes for your team.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, even though Ollie couldn’t even see him. Despite the boxes being in the way, they also couldn’t really see each other because it was so dark. They were walking down a hallway backstage, and it was kind of sketchy. The hallway was built into the venue they were performing in for a few days, and it was quite thin and twisty. And dark and dusty. All around not a great time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know right,” the singer said, coughing a little as he choked on the dust that was floating in the air. It got stuck in his throat, causing him to grimace. “This place is nasty. Besides not being able to see three feet in front of me, my asthma is gonna start acting up at any second.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie hummed. “I don’t even have asthma, but I feel like I’m definitely going to after this,” he grunted, hoisting the boxes a little higher. “Don’t you have people who work for you that can do this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re supposed to, yeah. But they’re having a day off,” the curly haired man rolled his eyes at that. How ironic that the people who work for them get a day off, when they need to go to work specifically to do those people’s jobs. It really wasn’t fair and once Louis found out about it, Harry was certain he was going to throw a fit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie snorted. “Asses,” he commented. “What are even in these boxes anyways- they’re heavy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mic equipment, I think,” Harry answered, hoisting his boxes up too. They were killing his back and were weighing him down quite a bit. Usually he would have been able to lift them, but for some reason today he was struggling quite a bit. “I think I have the stand pieces in my boxes and you have the mics and the cords.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie hummed. “Yeah, I was wondering why they were so heavy,” he commented, shuffling them around a little bit. “Oh well, at least we’re almost there. I think that Lindsay said we need to go down these stairs coming up soon and then we’ll be there and we can stop lugging these boxes around.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beats me why they even chose us to carry them,” Harry added on, nearly tripping again but managing to catch himself. It was the fourth time he had done that and each time his heart skipped a beat. One fall and, not only would he go crashing to the ground, but so would all the equipment. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t walk straight for the life of me. I’m honestly surprised I haven’t dropped them yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie let out a small, ringing laugh. “I think we’re all surprised,” he said happily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though it was less than ideal to be walking down that hallway with heavy boxes, Harry was kind of enjoying his time with Ollie. The other man was very friendly and he was easy to talk to. It was like Harry had grown up with the other boys since forever and knew them inside and out. And then came along Ollie, who was someone new to connect with. And he was enjoying getting to know the other man. They had a lot in common- more than Harry would have thought they did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And even though they were walking down a dark and twisty hallway, he was glad to be doing it with Ollie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But at the same time, Harry couldn’t help but wonder if Liam had told Ollie his suspicions. He wondered if Ollie thought the same thing as Liam or if he had kept it to himself. A small part of him also wondered if Ollie thought the same thing as him. He didn’t want to think about that, because the thought made him nervous. So he just pushed that out of his mind and tried to focus on making the best out of his situation with Ollie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes, Harry hummed to himself. “We must be almost there. I think the hallway is ending soon,” he commented, trying to see in front of the boxes in his arms. He frowned to himself when he couldn’t see over the boxes, even squinting to try and see. “Where were we supposed to go, again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Down the stairs that was coming up,” the other man answered, his voice coming from a few meters behind the singer. “Just watch out. I can’t see where it starts and I wouldn’t want us to fall down there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try my best, but it’s kind of hard to see when it’s so- </span>
  <em>
    <span>AH</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Harry cut himself off as his foot dropped a level. He didn’t have time to react before his feet were falling out from under him. He let out a yell of fear as the ground disappeared and he was falling forward. He was going down, down, down. He couldn’t even brace himself as he went falling down the stairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry squeezed his eyes shut. It was all he could do. He fell forward, losing his grip on the boxes. He heard Ollie scream his name once, before the first hit came. He slid onto his front, crying out as he hit the stairs. He then bounced off of them, smacking his head against the concrete. Then all he saw was stars as he tumbled the rest of the way. The only thing he could hear was the ringing of his own ears and the sound of his head ricocheting off of the cement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t even realize that he had passed out until there was the sound of footsteps rushing towards him. He thought he could hear the sound of someone faintly screaming his name, but he wasn’t sure. His vision was lopsided, either from lying on the ground or because everything just seemed to be spinning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“HARRY! HARRY, SHIT!” Ollie yelled, dropping the boxes in his hands without a second thought of the expensive equipment inside of them as he rushed towards the other man. He sprinted down the stairs, only to see with horror that Harry was lying at the bottom of them, unmoving. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry groaned, his eyes slipping shut. All he could register was pain. The kind of pain that was both numb and excruciating at the same time. He couldn’t even think of anything else. The only thing his mind could register was the pain coming from his head and his stomach. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh God. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie ran over to him, immediately dropping to his knees. Harry blinked up at him groggily, opening his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a weak cry. “Fuck, Harry. Are you okay? Are you with me?” He asked worriedly, his forehead creased. “Come on, answer me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Harry cried, squeezing his eyes shut. The pain was too much. His head felt like it was being ripped apart and his stomach felt like he was being stabbed to death. “Fuck, shit, fuck, ah,” he groaned. “It hurts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know it hurts. You hit your head badly but it’s a good sign that you can talk. Also, there’s no bleeding so you didn’t crack your head open,” Ollie said. Thank god he had done nursing school before meeting Liam. At least he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>relatively </span>
  </em>
  <span>calm about the situation, despite obviously freaking out on the inside. “You landed on the boxes, which is good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t feel good. The words he was saying just seemed to go in one of Harry’s ears and then out the other. “It hurts, it hurts,” he cried weakly. He had landed on his front, and it felt like he was going to die. “My stomach- ahhh! It hurts, Ollie…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit, yeah it would. The boxes broke your fall but it looks like you landed on one of the bigger mic stands,” the other man said, though his voice made almost no sense to Harry. His voice was muffled by the ringing in his ears. “I don’t think it’s too bad… probably some bad bruising on your stomach where you landed…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh shit. He landed on his stomach. On one of the mic stands. On his stomach. God. No. Fuck. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... I need to take you to the doctor on tour right now. That was a bad fall and I don’t want you to-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ambulance!” Harry gasped, his voice coming off as a scream, even cracking at the end of it. He opened his eyes wide to look into Ollie’s. He was really hoping and praying that he could convey his urgency to the other man. “Call and ambulance. I have to… I have to go to the hospital!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie looked a little taken aback, blinking a few times. “Uh, I can drive you,” he stammered in shock. “Or call the doctor down here to see if you need emergency care. But if you can talk and move around I don’t think we need to call 911…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I have to…” Harry took a deep breath, looking into Ollie’s eyes piercingly. He swallowed thickly. “I think I’m pregnant.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, well, well... preggers? But really, was anyone actually surprised? </p><p>I’m on a family vacation at the moment and probably won’t be posting for a little while, so the next chapter might be a few days. </p><p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading. Now first of all, I understand that miscarriages can be very triggering for so many people, and I just want to say that there will be no miscarriage in this story. Just wanted to put that out there for anyone who might be triggered or uncomfortable with that idea. </p><p>And now that we have that out of the way.... enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>February 11, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was lying down on a hospital table, trying his best not to cry. It was hard, since it was just him and Ollie in the room while they waited for the doctor to come back, and he could tell that the other man was looking at him. What else would he be looking at anyways? It was obvious that he was staring at Harry deeply, his eyes practically bearing into the singer’s skull. He didn’t even need to turn around to know that, he could feel Ollie’s gaze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After his incident on the staircase where he had revealed that he thought he was pregnant, Ollie had lost his cool then. Any composure that he had had at first just flew right out the door as soon as those words came out of his mouth. It was like as soon as he knew that it wasn’t just Harry who had gone down the staircase, but potentially a baby inside as well, he had started freaking out. He had dialed the ambulance immediately, all the while trying to calm down Harry who had then started crying, being triggered by Ollie’s panic. The two men had just been a mess, one of them crying and freaking out while the other panicked uselessly. Ollie had tried to call Louis or Liam, but Harry had nearly ripped his phone out of his hands at that, repeating over and over that he couldn’t call them. So instead, they just waited in panic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the ambulance finally arrived, the two men were already at the door waiting for them. Then they had loaded Harry onto the truck. At first Ollie was going to drive along behind them since he didn’t want Harry to go alone, especially since none of the other boys knew. But Harry had latched onto him, claiming that he ‘wasn’t getting in that goddamn ambulance if he wasn’t going with him.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ride to the hospital had been one of the worst Harry had ever been in. It was even worse than when his water broke while he was pregnant with the twins and Niall had driven him to the hospital. He had been yelling and swearing out in pain the entire time, while Niall panicked that they weren’t going to make it. Harry had actually been the clear headed one then, screaming the directions at the blond man all while trying to breathe through contractions. That had been super stressful, which only made this time worse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Along with the panic coursing through his veins, Harry’s mind was panicking as well. The only thing he could think of was that he had killed his and Louis’ baby even before he got the chance to know about it. He hadn’t even considered it until that day when Liam brought it up, and he doubted that the thought that he was pregnant had even crossed Louis’ mind. And he wouldn’t get the chance to tell him because he had killed it before he got the chance. He had killed Louis’ baby. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The entire ride there he had been plagued with that thought and hadn’t been able to focus on anything else. Not the paramedic moving around him or even Ollie who was holding his hand and trying to talk to him. It was like the world around him was muffled and blurry and the only thing he could think about was the baby inside of him. The one that he had just killed. Just thinking about it made the tears fall faster and faster down his face the entire ride to the hospital. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then when they arrived at the hospital it had all been a flurry of movement. They had obviously picked up on the fact that he was the Harry Styles, world famous singer, and also the fact that he was a patient, and had immediately rushed him into a private room away from everything else. Then the doctor and a couple other people worked around him, checking him for several different things. Harry hadn’t paid attention to that part, just doing his best to stop crying while wishing that it was all just a nightmare. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And now he was just lying in the hospital bed, in nothing just the paper gown they had given him, doing everything he could to not cry. But it was hard. His lower lip was trembling, his eyes were watering and his throat was closing in on itself. It felt like he was suffocating in that small, white room. And Ollie staring at him like he was on display was not helping at all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After what felt like forever of being stared at, Ollie cleared his throat. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call anyone?” He asked, his voice low but startling Harry a little in the process. “Because the doctor is going to come back and… and I don’t know what she’s going to say…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry felt his eyes welling up with tears at what the other man was implying. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut in an effort to not let them slip through. “I don’t want you to call anyone,” he said thickly, his hands clenching at his sides. The thought of any of the other boys there with him made him feel sick to his stomach. “I don’t want them here right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard the older man sigh. “Harry,” he said softly, obviously trying his best to keep his voice even and calm, even though it was obvious he was still very shaken from the entire thing. “You should call Louis. He’d want to be here right now with you. And he’d want to know what’s going on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had to bite down on his bottom lip hard to keep his emotions in check. “I don’t want to call Louis,” he said, his voice thick and stubborn. “I don’t want to call anyone here, especially him. This… this can’t be how he finds out. He’s just going to freak out and then he’ll be mad at me for not telling him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other man was quiet for a moment, Harry’s words sinking in. Harry couldn’t help but feel the lump in his throat rising as he thought about it. Louis was so mad when he hadn’t known about the twins, and now this? It was all a mess. Ollie cleared his throat. “Well, why didn’t you tell him?” He asked after a moment, his voice soft. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? You shouldn’t have been carrying those boxes, let alone down a staircase. We could have helped.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite what he was saying, Ollie made sure to keep his voice soft and gentle, probably trying to calm the curly haired singer down. It wasn’t working- Harry was too upset to be reassured. Harry looked down at his hands, which were resting just below his flat stomach. “I didn’t know,” he said finally, his voice cracking at the end. He swore internally as a few tears leaked out of his eyes. “I hadn’t even thought about it until t-today when Liam made a few c-comments. I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The chair that was beside the bed shifted. “Shit,” Ollie swore under his breath, hopping out of his chair as Harry started crying all over again. He pushed back the chair so that it made a loud noise as he reached over to pull the younger man into his chest. Harry went easily, curling into Ollie’s chest. His hands fisted at the front of his shirt while he let himself crumble against him, using him like a brace for himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that Harry felt himself actually falling apart. A steady stream of tears started dripping down his face, falling like raindrops onto the paper gown he was wearing. His hands came up to clutch at Ollie’s shirt, fisting it. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen!” He sobbed, his face pressing into the other man’s chest while Ollie wrapped his own arms around him. “I’m not supposed to be pregnant! Oh god, I can’t- I can’t do this!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hey,” Ollie said, his hands running soothingly over the younger man’s back in an effort to calm him down. “Calm down, Harry. It’s alright, you’re alright. Everything is going to be fine, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the singer just shook his head, hiccupping. “W-what if I killed it? I landed on my s-stomach on t-that stand! W-what if-” he couldn’t breathe anymore, everything feeling like it was closing in on him. “Louis is going to hate me. He’s going to hate me and leave me again! He’s going to leave me again, and I can’t- I can-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t realized how worked up he was getting until Ollie pulled away enough to look him in the eyes. His hand grasped at the younger man’s chin, looking him in the eyes. “Hey, Harry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he stressed, his forehead wrinkling in concern. “You’re going to give yourself an asthma attack. Breathe, H.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Harry just shook his head, not even listening to what the other man was saying. His mind was whirling around with thoughts, muffling the world around him. He was getting so worked up that it was getting harder and harder to breathe, his chest feeling like it was contracting itself together almost painfully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie’s grip on his shoulders tightened, so that his fingers were pressing sharply into the meat of his skin beside his shoulder. “Hey, Harry. Look at me,” he said, his voice louder than it had been before so that he was almost yelling. But it worked since Harry’s eyes snapped up to meet his, watering with tears. Ollie’s face softened at that and he loosened his grip. “Calm down, okay? It’s going to be alright. And if you can’t calm down I’m going to have to call Niall or Louis down here to calm you down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the threat of calling his friends, the twenty five year old swallowed thickly so that his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Please don’t call them,” he said, forcing himself to suck in a deep breath. “Please don’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie’s eyes were staring into Harry’s in a sad way. He looked pitying, which normally Harry would hate. He hated when people pitied him. But he didn’t mind now because he was scared out of his mind and he didn’t even mind if anyone was pitying him, as long as they were there, it was fine. “Harry,” the older man said after a moment. “They could help you know…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Harry said thickly, looking down at his hands again in shame. “I can’t call them. This can’t be how Louis finds out… I can’t let know like this. And Niall… I don’t want to worry Niall. Just please don’t call them. Don’t call anyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie didn’t respond for the longest time, but Harry took that as him agreeing. The two of them just sat there for the longest time in silence, not saying anything or moving. But it was nice. Ollie kept his arm around Harry’s shoulders while Harry continued sniffling quietly and blinking back his tears. However, it only lasted a few moments before the door to their room was being opened. Both of their heads snapped up to see the doctor walking in, file in hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello Harry,” she said, her tone soft and professional. “I’m doctor Torres.” She was tall and broad, her long brown hair clipped back into a loose ponytail at the back of her head and her brown eyes gentle. She walked into the room, before closing the door again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t find it in himself to respond, his throat suddenly feeling more choked up than ever. The panic that had been disappearing all suddenly came back like a total wave, leaving him speechless. Thankfully, Ollie was there to respond, his hand squeezing the other man’s shoulder. “How is he?” He asked the doctor in concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry, you’re fine. And the baby is fine too,” Doctor Torres said to him, shooting him a small smile. “We did a full work-up and we didn’t find anything wrong with your baby, it seems healthy as ever. As for you, besides the obvious bruising that will be gone in a couple of weeks, you do have a concussion. It’s nothing to worry at the moment and I would only be concerned if it got worse. But other than that, there isn’t anything else wrong or to be worried about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Relief washed over Harry as he exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. “So the baby is fine?” He asked thickly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doctor nodded her head with a small smile. “Your baby is fine, Harry. The only thing to worry about is that the fetus was in distress, which would have been caused by the fall and your high blood pressure. But as long as you relax and stay calm for the next few days everything should go smoothly,” she explained simply to the singer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie squeezed Harry’s shoulder. “See, it’s fine. Everything is fine,” he said softly to him, rubbing reassuring circles on his back. Harry nodded silently. Ollie then looked up at the doctor. “So can we go now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not quite. I’m just going to do an ultrasound just to check up on the baby and get an idea of how far along you are in the pregnancy,” Torres said to the curly haired singer. “Are you alright with that, Harry?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hit his lip, nodding his head silently while thousands of thoughts ran through his head. He was pregnant, again. With Louis’ baby, again. And Louis didn’t know, again. His life was just going in circles over and over again. He was going to be having another baby. “Can I see it?” He asked softly, looking up at the doctor with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doctor Torres’ face softened as she nodded. “Of course you can,@ she said gently, moving to get it ready. She gathered the materials while Harry shimmied down in the bed so that he was lying down. He then pulled up the paper gown to reveal his flat and bruised stomach. Only a few moments later, a small wand with blue gel was being spread across his abdomen, causing him to gasp a little at the cold feeling. He had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Doctor Torres moved the wand around for a few moments, spreading the ultrasound gel across his stomach. Her eyes, along with Harry’s own eyes, were glued to the screen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was starting to worry that there wasn’t a baby even in there, before the wand stopped moving. A small smile crept onto Torres’ face. “There it is,” she said with a smile. “There’s your baby, Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes followed her finger, until he saw it. The picture was blurry and dark, but he could see a small, white smudge on the screen. “Oh my god,” he breathed, his eyes widening at the sight. “Oh my god… that’s my… that’s my baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like it printed for you?” The doctor asked him. Harry hit his lip as he nodded silently. He couldn’t say anything else, he was knocked completely speechless. He was having another baby. Holy shit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry let the warm shower water spray down his body, closing his eyes at the feeling. It was warm and welcoming, the water hot against his skin. He loved the feeling of it, feeling the water pour down his body and slide down his skin. It was comforting and warm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran his hands through his hair as the water poured through it, washing all of the conditioner out of his soft curls, washing them clean. He knew that Louis liked when his hair was nice and soft, perfect for him to play with and run his fingers through without it getting caught. It also made it easier to braid, which they both loved doing.Harry smiled at the thought of it. God, he was so whipped for the other man. Which only made him all the more nervous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After he was done with his hair, Harry lathered the body wash onto his hands. He ran the soap over his body, spreading it over his arms and shoulders, only wincing a little as he moved around. His body was so sore from the fall, but the doctor said that that was normal and that he would be feeling it for a few days. Lucky him. He let his hands trickle further down, rubbing soap over his stomach. He winced as the bruises twinged in pain, causing him to bite down on his lip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked down, his fingers pinching at the skin on his lower abdomen lightly. He was still quite flat since it was still early, but he could still feel something. There was a small pouch starting to gather already, still imperceptible to anyone else, but he could feel it. Tiny and almost impossible to notice, but Harry could see it easily now that he knew. It was like once he realized, it was impossible for him not to notice it. No one would notice yet. Not even the boys who knew him so well. Not even Louis, who knew his body like the back of his hand. Nobody other than Harry would have been able to see it because the bump was so tiny. Maybe they would suspect that he put on a couple pounds, but they’d just brush that off as healthy or not even care. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But to Harry, it was there and it was real. And now that he could see it, he wouldn’t be able to stop seeing it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so stupid,” he whispered under his breath, running a free hand down his skin as he closed his eyes. He felt like an idiot. The signs had all been there. He had been eating so much, had been wanting to have sex all the time, been overly tired- he had even had morning sickness! The fact that he hadn’t known was crazy for him. He had even been pregnant before and still hadn’t managed to put the pieces together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam had even known before him. Or, at least, he had suspected it and had been right. And the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind until Liam had brought it up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>God, he was so stupid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t even know if he wanted a baby. Obviously he was going to keep it. If that baby was even half as much like Allie or Robbie, there was no way he could get rid of it. Not if it was going to be like his two angels that he loved with all his heart. But he still didn’t know if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>another baby. He hadn’t even thought about having one. Life just kind of threw him the curveball he had least expected. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His life was going so well. He had the band, the twins and Louis. He was living his best life on tour, singing in front of thousands of people each night and travelling around the world. He was going the thing he loved most with the people he loved most, and he couldn’t get better for him. And now he was going to have a baby, which would throw everything off. He wouldn’t be able to tour, wouldn’t be able to jump and dance around on stage- the entire tour would be ruined because of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then there was Louis. Nevermind if Harry didn’t want a baby, but what about Louis? There was nothing making Louis stay around with him, he could leave whenever he wanted. And if there was another baby thrown into the mix, there was no saying if he would stick around. Why would he want to stay for the miserable nine months of having a pregnant boyfriend, followed by countless sleepless nights and then for another few years of raising a small child? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure he liked the twins, but they were nearly grown up. Louis hadn’t even stepped into their lives until they were more than four years old. He hadn’t been there to raise a baby full time, since Briana had Freddie almost all the time. There was no reason for him to want to stay. And if he didn’t stay, Harry didn’t know what he would do. He couldn’t be a single parent again… he just couldn’t. It was too draining and too hard on him. He wouldn’t make it as a single parent all over again. If he needed to raise the baby alone, he was certain it would break him once and for all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry finished up in the shower and was just stepping out when he heard the hotel room door open up. He didn’t even question who it was, since he and Louis were the only ones who had a key to their shared hotel room. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling his heart rate start to pick up. It was time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry!” Louis called as he walked in, closing the door behind him. His voice ran through the empty hotel room, only being muffled by the washroom door. “Are you here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed thickly, swearing under his breath when he felt his throat already starting to constrict. “Im here!” He called out, doing his best to hide the tremor in his voice. “One minute!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he didn’t get a response, he took it that Louis was probably sitting on the couch or on his phone or something. Harry reached down to grab the sweatpants from off of the ground and slide them up his hips, careful not to yank them up too hard to be careful. Then he grabbed his hoodie and shimmied it on, wincing a little as he pulled it over his bruised and battered body. He then slipped on his slippers for maximum comfort, before opening the washroom door. His heart was going wild even before he stepped out of the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis was sitting on the couch, as Harry had predicted, with his phone out. He seemed to be scrolling through Twitter or something when Harry walked out, not noticing the other man until Harry was walking towards the couch. He looked up then, shooting him a small smile. “Hey love,” he said with a smile, looking back at his phone. “Wanna sit?” He patted the cushion next to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stepped over, lowering himself gently downward onto the couch, careful to ease himself onto there without hurting himself. “Hey Lou,” he said softly. “Erm- how are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was fine. Bloody annoying though. I mean, we have a whole crew of people who work here on tour with us and yet we have to be the ones doing clean up and set up duty. I mean, it was our day off and everything!” He exclaimed, rolling his eyes. It was obvious he was still annoyed about it. “Like I didn’t ever see you all day because they kept us for so long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pursed his lips. Louis didn’t even know he had been at the hospital, which really he wouldn’t have known anyways. It wasn’t like they were together for anything. “What were you doing?” He asked the other man, leaning over and resting his head onto Louis’ shoulder. God he loved this man. He smelt so good and felt so nice. It only made this all the more harder to do, which caused Harry’s eyes to start welling up again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was with Liam cleaning up some shit,” he said, humming. “What about you? You were setting up the mic stand with Ollie or something, right? How was that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry faltered, his face falling at the mention of it. He blinked a few times, feeling his throat start to constrict again. “I fell down the stairs,” he said thickly, clenching his jaw together to keep his lip from trembling. “The ones under the stage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ head snapped in his direction, looking away from his phone for the first time. His face etched in worry immediately, his blue eyes widening. “Shit Haz, those are fucking steep. Are you okay?” He asked in worry, his hands coming up to hold Harry’s face in his hands as he inspected it. Harry winced a little at the touch, not going unnoticed by Louis. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swallowed, knowing that there wasn’t a point in trying to cover anything up at this point. One, Louis would be able to see that he's lying in a second. Two, if he was going to do this, he needed to be honest. “I, uh, I went to the hospital,” he said, his eyes looking down at the ground. “Ollie, he- erm- he called me an ambulance…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit, Harry,” Louis said, cradling his boyfriend’s face in his hands. He was only getting more and more worried, his hands were already white from holding him so tight. “Are you alright? Why was there a fucking ambulance? Shit, babe, you should have called me. Are you okay?” His eyes were wide with worry, being genuinely concerned for Harry. Harry really liked that. This was the first time Louis had been actually worried for him, worried for his safety, and it made him feel lighter just at the thought of it. Louis cared about him again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. I-” Harry started, before cutting himself off to take a deep breath. He was already tearing up. This was harder than he thought it would be. Slowly, he pulled away from Louis just enough to reach down to the bottom of his shirt. Then, as if moving in slow motion, he peeled it upwards to reveal his stomach. “This is why I went…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, Harry!” Louis exclaimed loudly, causing Harry’s breath to hitch at the volume of it. He leaned forward to run his fingers over the battered and sensitive skin, just grazing over it. “You’re fucking black and blue! How the hell did this happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I landed on the mic stands we were carrying. But that’s not the reason I went to the hospital…” Harry said, swallowing thickly as he pushed his shirt back down. He looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap, not even being able to see straight through the tears. A few drops escaped his eyelids and landed on his hands. “The reason I went to the hospital is because… is because I’m pregnant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time stopped moving. Louis’ hands that had been touching him gently suddenly went completely rigid. The only sound that came from his mouth was a small gasp. And then nothing. No yelling, no laughing, no swearing and no reassurances. He fell dead silent. Harry couldn’t breathe anymore. His heart felt like it stopped beating inside of his chest, and he couldn’t breathe or move. The only thing that changed was the tears that were now streaming silently down his face while his bottom lip trembled dangerously. The silence was worse than Louis being angry or upset. At least then Harry would know how he felt. But the silence… the silence was suffocating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It felt like ages before Louis finally spoke. “You’re…” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His tone was monotone, no emotion evident. “You’re… pregnant? As in, there’s a baby in you? Right now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wasn’t happy. Louis was mad at him. Louis didn’t want a baby. Louis was going to leave him. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry closed his eyes, causing the tears that were under his eyelids to fall freely down his cheeks. He opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a broken and pained sob. “I’m sorry Louis, I’m sorry! I didn’t know! Please don’t l-leave me!” He cried, his trembling hands coming up to cover his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The couch cushions dipped as another body moved over closer to him. “Hey, hey, love. Don’t cry, Harry,” Louis cooed softly, moving close until their bodies were plastered together. He then wrapped his arms around the younger singer and pulled him into his lap, where Harry went willingly, burying his face into the other man’s chest. “Stop crying, sweetheart. Breathe for me, okay? In and out, Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I don’t know what to do anymore!” Harry cried, his arms fisting at the back of the older man’s shirt, almost scared to let go for just a second. He buried his face into Louis’ neck, not even trying to stop the tears from dripping onto his skin. “Y-y-you’re going to leave me and I c-can’t raise another baby a-alone! I can’t do it again, Louis! And I-I’m ruining e-everything for the b-boys and the tour and f-for us b-because I’m not going to get r-rid of it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was losing it again, dropping off into another fit of not being able to breathe anymore. His chest was tightening and his throat was closing up again. Louis reached up to grab his face again, pulling him off so that he could look him in the eyes. “Hey, Harry. Look at me,” he said, his eyes wide. He was pale. “I’m not leaving you. Like, ever. Why would… why would you even think that, baby?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s face was blotched and strained red, with the tears still dripping down his face. His nose was runny and he had a swollen bottom lip from gnawing on it.  “B-b-because you don’t w-want another b-baby. Not w-with me,” he stammered, hiccups and small gasps cutting him off. Admitting it out loud only brought more tears to his eyes, which were soon coursing down his cheeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face immediately softened, his eyes widening all little. He cupped his face in his hands gently, thumbing away the tears gently. “Harry,” he said softly, his voice quiet, crackling at the end. “Hazza… I want everything with you. What makes you think I don’t want another baby?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry opened his eyes, looking at Louis brokenly. “We’ve been dating for less than a month, Louis. And a baby is </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much work </span>
  </em>
  <span>and you would have to be stuck with it forever and this isn’t what was supposed to happen and it was a mistake and-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis cut him off by leaning forward and pressing their lips together. He didn’t pay any mind to the tears that smeared onto his face as he did it either, just focusing on the kiss. When he pulled away, Harry blinked in surprise. “Harry, sweetheart, I know what it’s like to have a baby,” he whispered, caressing his face. “And don’t think that this changes anything. I want you Harry, only you. And I’m not going to leave you because of a baby, if anything that wants me to stay even more.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s bottom lip trembled dangerously. “You’re not leaving me?” He asked quietly, biting down. “Because I’m not… I’m not getting an abortion, you know….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I wouldn’t ask you to,” Louis responded, leaning forward to press another quick peck to his lips. Harry chased after his lips when he pulled away, causing Louis to smile as he intertwined their fingers. “It’s you and me forever, darling. I’m not going anywhere, with or without another baby.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few more tears leaked down Harry’s face as he blinked innocently at Louis. “R-really?” He hiccuped, swallowing thickly. “B-because last time y-you-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis groaned. “Fuck, Harry. Last time I was the biggest asshole, I can’t even justify it in any way,” he said, grinding his teeth together. He then reached over to wrap his arms around Harry’s waist. “Hazza, darling, I’m not leaving you again ever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry bit his lip nervously. “Not even if I’m pregnant?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded, leaning forward to press a kiss to the top of the younger man’s nose. “Not even then. I’m not going anywhere, love,” he said softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. Harry nodded a little, ducking his head down low. Louis ducked his head down as well, chasing after his eyes. “Hey, hey. Why are you so upset by this, Hazzy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged, chewing on his lip. “Because this isn’t what was supposed to happen and because it’s going to change everything. And I don’t want to ruin the tour for everyone. This is going to ruin it all,” he admitted, leaning into Louis tiredly. He was so exhausted, both physically and emotionally. This was the most he had cried in a day in a long time, and it was draining. Louis pulled him closer so that the curly haired man was burrowed further in his lap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry, you’re having a baby. You’re not ruining anything,” The Donny man cooed gently, pressing his lips to the side of his temple. “I promise, no one is going to think you’re ruining anything, lovely. If anything, they’ll just be excited about another baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Harry asked nervously, pressing his face into Louis’ shoulder. Louis nodded confidently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Positive,” he said sweetly. Then, ever so slowly, his hands came from Harry’s back to slip under under the hem of his shirt. Then carefully, his fingers came to rest gently against the smooth skin of his boyfriend’s stomach, careful not to hurt the bruises. “How… how far along are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seven weeks,” the twenty five year old answered automatically. He then reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out the small slip of paper that had the ultrasound picture on it. Wordlessly, he passed it to Louis. “Almost two months, Lou.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis took the small piece of paper into his hands and looked at it. His eyes widened in wonder at the sight of it, his hands brushing over the small white dot in the middle of it. “Harry, we’re having a baby,” he breathed, a soft smile tugging his lips upwards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, letting out a wet sigh. “Yeah,” he said thickly, feeling the tension that had been gathering since the fall to finally start to drain out of him. “We’re having a baby.” He smiled tiredly, leaning over to rest his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder, letting his eyes close shut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling himself as he pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “I love you so much,” he whispered gently into his ear. Harry smiled softly, before letting himself drift off into sleep. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“A party? And I wasn’t invited?” A voice said from the doorway, followed by a high, ringing laugh. “I don’t know whether to be insulted or relieved.”</p><p>Louis’ shoulders tightened significantly, causing Harry to groan a little as he started coming back to reality. He could feel his stiff Louis got, and it felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. He sat up, blinking at his boyfriend in confusion. “Lou, what…” his voice died off when he realized that Louis wasn’t looking at him, but past him in the doorway. His face was tight with a frown. </p><p>“Eleanor,” Louis said tightly, ignoring the voice of his boyfriend, keeping his gaze trained on the doorway. His jaw was clenched dangerously, like his jawline was going to snap under the pressure. “What are you doing here?” His voice was no longer light or merry- instead it was tight and stony.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far, it really does mean a lot! I'm going to be going back to school tomorrow, so I won't have as much time to write (which means the updates will be slower) but I promise to try and update the next chapter soon. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>February 25, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had a problem. He was fat now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was standing in the full body mirror in the hotel room, checking himself out. He looked the same, or as normal as he could considering that he had just woken up. His hair was unruly and he was shirtless, wearing just a pair of loose sweatpants on his legs. But there was one thing different about him now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a small bump where his stomach was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t too big, but Harry could tell. To anyone else, it might have just looked like he had gained a couple of pounds and gotten a little bit of chub on his stomach. But since he was quite skinny naturally, it was easy to spot the change in his shape, and his stomach jutted out noticeably. To Harry, and anyone who knew the truth, it was clear that it was a baby bump. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed in frustration as he turned to the side, narrowing his eyes in the reflection. His stomach was protruding and he hated it. He put a hand onto his stomach, feeling the bump a little. It was firm, obviously not just stomach fat. It was clear that there was a baby inside of there, sticking out and making it obvious to the world before Harry was ready for it too. Already his butterfly tattoo on his stomach was starting to stretch out a little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Louis!” He called, frowning some more as he looked in the mirror. He turned around a little, trying to find which angle hid the bump best, but every way he turned just showed it off just as much however he moved around. He groaned in frustration. “Louis, come quick! I have a problem!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were a few moments of silence, before footsteps were hurrying towards the bedroom. Louis ran towards the room, before throwing open the closed door. He had a worried expression on his face. “Harry, what’s wrong? What are you-?” He cut himself off, his eyes landing on Harry- or more specifically, Harry’s stomach. “Oh, hello there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry turned around to him, pouting. He just frowned even more when he saw that Louis had a small smile on his face. “Stop that. I’m not happy,” he snapped, huffing as he gestured down to his abdomen. “Look at this! This is a big problem!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Louis didn’t seem to be nearly as upset as the younger man was about the situation. His eyes were wide with wonder, trained on the tiny bump. He had a small smile on face, tugging the corners of his lips upwards as he took a few steps forwards. “I don’t see a problem, love,” he said softly, biting onto his lower lip. “Look at you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been two weeks since Harry’s fall down the steps, and two weeks since Louis had found out about the pregnancy. And in those two weeks, Louis had been attached to Harry like the plague. He hadn’t left the curly haired man’s side the entire time, going with him to the kitchen, the bedroom and sometimes even following him into the washroom. Harry found it strange, especially the washroom part, but he just shrugged it off. He was really just thankful that his boyfriend wasn’t upset about the pregnancy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first week after the fall, Louis had seemed to be in shock. It was like he couldn’t believe it. More than once had he asked to see the ultrasound picture, where he would just stare at it for minutes on end. And several times Harry had woken up to Louis lifting his shirt to look at his stomach during the night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been like he was on autopilot. Sure, he was still there, but it was like he was just trying to absorb the information. He still did all the normal things, like make Harry breakfast and then hold his hair back when he puked up said breakfast. He would still hold Harry’s hand when they were with the boys, and would still speak to Harry when Harry asked him something. But he had been pretty silent after finding out, always zoned out. Harry tried to push it off as just him trying to wrap his head around it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, if he was honest with himself, that week had been terrifying for Harry. Even though Louis had told him countless times that he wasn’t upset with him and that he wasn’t going to leave him, Harry couldn’t help but wonder. The silent, spaced out Louis had been terrifying to him- never knowing what he was thinking or if he was angry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it didn’t last long. Soon enough, Louis wasn’t silent anymore. He was actually a lot more involved- more than Harry had expected him to be. He would constantly check up on how he was feeling or what he could do to make him feel better when he was sick. Louis would go out and buy pregnancy books and pamphlets, going through them like he was engrossed to know everything (Harry hadn’t even known he was doing that until one night when he found one of the books under his pillow.) Louis just seemed happy about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like the old Louis had bounced right back, only this time he was excited about a baby. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry huffed at his boyfriend’s words, rolling his eyes. “There is a problem,” he argued, throwing his hands in the air. “You can see the bump now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis bit down on his lip, taking a step closer. He reached his hand out, before resting it against the skin of Harry’s stomach gently. “Yeah. I can see it,” he said quietly, more to himself than anyone. He was completely entranced by the small rounded bump that Harry needed to snap his fingers to actually get his attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Louis, focus,” he snapped, his brows creasing together. He motioned down at himself again. “If you can see it, then everyone else can see it. I’m showing now, Louis! And everyone is going to know that I’m pregnant and I’m not ready for them to know, Louis! I didn’t know myself until a few days ago and you just found out. I don’t want them to see it, Louis. They can’t know- I’m not ready yet!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t even realized that he was working himself up until Louis looked at him in surprise. “Hey, hey, Hazza,” he said gently, pulling the younger man into his arms for a hug. Harry whimpered a little bit, smushing his face into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck and breathing in. “Calm down, babe. You’re good, you’re alright. Breathe for me, lovely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sucked in a breath, wrapping his arms around Louis’ neck and pulling himself even closer to the other man. He whimpered a little. “I don’t want them to know,” he said thickly, his bottom lip wobbling a little. “I’m not ready for them to know, Lou. I’m not ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned over and pressed a small kiss to the man’s temple. “They won’t know until you’re ready, lovely,” he whispered sweetly, hugging his boyfriend. “It’s really not that big, Hazza. If you put a sweater on, nobody is going to know the difference. Relax, babe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You knew,” Harry said with a small whimper, closing his eyes. “You notified right away and that means that everyone else is going to notice too. They’re all going to know, Louis.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself down. He knew that he was getting worked up about it and that stress wasn’t good for the baby, especially after causing it some distress when he had fallen. He tried to focus on the steady beat of Louis’ breathing, holding onto him tightly. Louis was the only thing holding him together.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh baby,” Louis cooed, peppering kisses onto his boyfriend’s cheek. Even those made Harry feel a lot better already. “I only knew because I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hazzy. I know your body well enough to see when you’ve got a tiny little bump. But I promise it’s not that big yet, love. They won’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pulled away enough to look his boyfriend in the eyes. His green orbs stared into Louis’ cerulean ones, wide and a little watery. “Are you sure?” He asked quietly, biting onto his bottom lip anxiously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled softly at him, leaning over to press a kiss to his nose. “Positive,” he answered back easily. Harry nodded, his mouth wobbling as he tried to return the smile. Louis then grabbed his hand, tugging him away from the mirror. “Now let’s go get one of my sweaters for you, yeah?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry and Louis walked into the lounge room together, hand in hand, half an hour later. After their conversation a while ago, Harry was feeling much better. He was wearing sweats and one of Louis’ hoodies, the bump well concealed under the thick layers of clothing. Louis was right, you really couldn’t see it when he was wearing loose clothes, which was a big relief. Harry didn’t know what he’d do if they found out yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them walked into the lounge room together, seeing the boys already in there. Niall was playing video games against Zayn (and losing terribly), Liam was texting someone on his phone, and Gigi and Ollie were talking about something together. They all looked up when Harry and Louis walked into the room. Despite knowing that no one could tell, Harry still curled in on himself a little bit when all of their eyes were suddenly on him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys,” Louis said easily, squeezing Harry’s hand supportively. He then led the younger man into the room with him, keeping their hands linked as reassurance. “What’s up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just beating Zayn’s ass in this game!” Niall yelled in response, never looking away from the screen as his fingers darted across the controller violently. “He just can’t seem to keep up. I’m playing you next, Tommo!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn huffed in anger, his own fingers darting along the controller with less speed and grace as Niall’s. It was obvious that he was not nearly into the game as the other man. “Please take over, Tommo. I don’t think I can play another round before my fingers fall off,” he begged, sounding tired. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis laughed a little. “Yeah, yeah sure,” he said lightly. “I’m sure I can beat Nialler easily.” He then let go of Harry’s hand to walk over to the two of them. Harry tried to not let the loss of his boyfriend’s comfort get to him, instead just turning to go see what else there was to do. He didn’t want to sit by Liam, who would continue suspecting about his pregnancy (which he now knew was true), so that was a no. The only other option was sitting with Gigi and Ollie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry made his way over to Gigi and Ollie, who were both sitting in two chairs together, talking amongst themselves. They both looked up when he walked over. “Oh, Harry!” Gigi exclaimed, a smile appearing on her face. “Hi!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at her, forcing his lips upwards tightly. “Hey guys,” he said, trying to keep his tone light and normal sounding. “What are you guys up to?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just talking. You can join in if you want,” the woman offered, shooting him a smile. Her offer made Harry feel very relieved, since if he wasn’t talking to them, he’d have to go talk to Liam. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, here you can take my seat,” Ollie said, piping up. He then hopped out of his chair for Harry to sit in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked at him in surprise, before shaking his head. “No, no, no. That’s fine, sit there,” he said, holding his hands out to stop the other man from getting up. “You stay there. I can go pull over one of the other chairs from over there…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Ollie shook his head. “No, no. I’ll go get one of those other chairs. You stay here, Harry,” he said jumping up to get one of the other chairs from the other end of the room. Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Ollie just grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the chair. Before Harry knew what was happening, he was being sat in the chair that had previously been occupied by the other man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ollie, I’m fine. Really, I can go-” Harry started, trying to get out of the chair. But Ollie wasn’t hearing it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no. I’m gonna go get the chair. It’s better if you don’t lift those chairs. They’re kinda heavy,” he said with a knowing smile, before hurrying over to the chairs on the other end of the room. Harry couldn’t do anything but clench his mouth shut. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it without getting everyone’s attention. Besides, Louis was watching him with a warning expression, which meant that even if Harry tried to lift one of the chairs, he would step in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gigi leaned over to him, placing a hand on his knee. “Harry, are you feeling okay?” She asked once the other man had left them. She had a worried expression on her face. “I heard you fell down that staircase the other day and got banged around pretty good. Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” The singer asked, blinking at her. He swallowed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There was no way she knew. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Oh, um, yeah. I’m fine. I just got a small concussion but I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gigi hummed in sympathy. “Sounds pretty rough. But it’s a good thing you’re alright now,” she commented, shooting him a small smile. “Good thing Ollie was there too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollie hummed as he walked over to the pair of them, bringing one of the puffy chairs with him. “It is a good thing I was there. But you should probably stay away from stairs for a few months, yeah H?”  He added that in with a small wink, which made Harry’s heart skip a beat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked over at Ollie, trying to make eye contact with him. He shook his head subtly, trying to pass the message across that nobody knew yet. But Ollie just seemed to be oblivious to the other man’s distress. If anything, he just smiled and shot him a small, knowing wink. It only added to the singer’s stress. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gigi, however, caught onto it. “Uhh, why would Harry need to stay away from stairs for a few months?” She asked slowly, looking from Ollie to Harry in confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m clumsy!” Harry exclaimed before Ollie could even open his mouth. He said it quite loudly too, his eyes widening. “Because I’ll just fall down again. Whoopsies, haha! Probably should, you know, stay away from them. Don’t want to fall again, you know? Pretty sure that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ollie meant by that.” He added on that last part by shooting Ollie a look with narrowed eyes. That seemed to do the trick, since the other man nodded slightly, looking a little taken aback. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis must have paused the game once he heard his boyfriend start yelling, since he appeared at his side within seconds. “Hey,” he said softly, leaning down to mumble lowly into his ear. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s jaw tightened. Everyone was looking now. “I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? Because you’re kinda freaking out from what I can hear from across the room,” he commented with a raised eyebrow. His tone made Harry’s head lower. Louis then grabbed his arm, tugging him a little. “Come on. You’re getting stressed over here. Come sit with me and Niall, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t respond, but he nodded. He then let himself be pulled upwards out of the seat by his boyfriend, and then led over to the TV where Niall was sitting. He didn’t even look back at Ollie and Gigi, knowing they were probably both looking at him in confusion and he didn’t want to have to deal with that now. Instead he just followed Louis over to the couch. Louis sat down beside Niall, before pulling Harry into his lap. Harry sat on top of him without protest, wiggling against him to get comfortable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was much nicer for Harry to be sitting over there rather than with Gigi and Ollie. With it just being Louis and Niall, he felt more comfortable just to sit and relax with them. The two of them were playing Mario Kart at the moment and, much to Niall’s annoyance, Louis was crushing him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No fair,” Niall pouted as he lost yet another round of it. He pointed at Louis, frowning. “You’re even playing with one hand!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis laughed merrily. One of his hands was controlling the controller alone, while the other had snaked under Harry’s sweater to rest against his stomach. “Loser. Some of us are just more talented,” he teased, causing Harry to giggle a little. “Another round. Maybe this time I’ll go easy on you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, the peace didn’t last for long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was probably an hour later and they were all still doing their thing. After losing almost every single video game they played, Niall had decided that he had had enough and had stopped playing. Now he was arguing with Liam about why he would win in a fight against Shawn Mendes, and Liam was then saying that Niall couldn’t even win in a fight against Harry (which was insulting to both of them). Zayn and Gigi had just come back from getting snacks, and probably making out while they did it since their lips were both quite swollen and red. Liam and Louis were also talking about something in hushed tones. Harry would have been nervous that they were talking about him being pregnant, but he trusted Louis enough to know that he wouldn’t tell Liam anything Harry wouldn’t want him to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there was Harry, who was actually quite tired. He was sitting beside Louis on the couch, his head resting on his boyfriend’s shoulder as he dozed off. He wasn’t quite sleeping, just zoning in and out of consciousness. It was good though, because at least he got to take a nap and no one was bothering him with questions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was too zoned out that he hadn’t even realized someone else walking into the room, nor did he notice how stiff and silent the room got all of a sudden. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A party? And I wasn’t invited?” A voice said from the doorway, followed by a high, ringing laugh. “I don’t know whether to be insulted or relieved.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ shoulders tightened significantly, causing Harry to groan a little as he started coming back to reality. He could feel his stiff Louis got, and it felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. He sat up, blinking at his boyfriend in confusion. “Lou, what…” his voice died off when he realized that Louis wasn’t looking at him, but past him in the doorway. His face was tight with a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eleanor,” Louis said tightly, ignoring the voice of his boyfriend, keeping his gaze trained on the doorway. His jaw was clenched dangerously, like his jawline was going to snap under the pressure. “What are you doing here?” His voice was no longer light or merry- instead it was tight and stony. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry felt the blood drain from his face, his head snapping in the direction of the doorway faster than he had ever turned around. He was certain that his next was going to hurt, but he didn’t care about that yet. He looked over to the doorway, only to see that it was indeed Eleanor Calder in the flesh. He felt his heart drop in his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor was looking as beautiful as ever. She was dressed in a tight pair of leather pants that clung fitly to her long, thin legs that seemed to go on for miles. She was wearing a baggy white hoodie as well, paired with a navy t-shirt that she was wearing overtop of the hoodie. Then, finally, she had a bucket hat on top of her shiny and sleek hair. In her hands was a starbucks drink and a dog leash. She looked beautiful, just like always. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello Louis. And others,” she said, plastering on a perfectly practiced smile. Even her teeth were perfectly white and straight. She had yet to look at anyone other than Louis the entire time, which made Harry bristle. “Nice to see everyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis acted like he hadn’t even heard her. “What are you doing here, Eleanor?” He snapped again, his eyes narrowing in her direction. “Did Simon send you again? Because if he did, tell him to fuck off. We already discussed it, and you’re done here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor just rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic, Lou,” she said. Harry felt his hands clenched into fists as she used the nickname. She didn’t even seem to notice. “I’m not here because of Simon. I’m here to drop off Clifford. Since we’re ‘done’ now, I’m not watching your dog anymore. He’s your problem now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then leave the dog and get out,” Niall snapped, getting to his feet and narrowing his eyes protectively. “Like you said, you weren’t invited.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor sighed, rolling her eyes as she strolled right past him. She patted Niall on the arm. “Calm down, guard dog,” she said with an unimpressed expression. “I’m leaving. Just dropping off Cliff and then I’ll be on my way out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded, standing up as well. He then reached out to grab the dog leash that the huge black dog was attached to. “Thanks,” he said tightly, taking the leash from the woman. “Well, bye then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor frowned, grabbing onto Louis’ arm to stop him from sitting down again. Harry clenched his jaw to try and stop himself from making a scene, but all that he could see were all those pap walks they did when Eleanor would cling off of his arm and he would kiss her. He tightened his fists, digging his nails onto the skin of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going to leave me like that, are you Lou?” She asked, pouting a little with her big eyes and jutted lips. “After all we’ve been through together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis pulled his arm away. “Yes. I actually am going to leave it like that. Bye, have a good life,” he snapped back, his patience clearly growing thin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she grabbed onto his arm once again before he could walk away. “Oh come on, Lou. Give me a hug goodbye. It’s not like I’m going to try and cop a feel or anything, I do have a boyfriend too, you know,” she said, rolling her eyes and holding her arms out for a hug. “Come on, Louis. Please?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked torn between saying ‘fuck off’ or giving in. His eyes darted down to her outstretched arms, before sighing. Then, reluctantly, he leaned over to give her the most pathetic hug that he had ever given anyone. But it was enough. They were still touching each other closely. Eleanor wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself close to his body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Treat people with kindness. Treat people with kindness. Treat people with kindness. Treat people with kindness,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry changed mentally, trying to keep himself from blowing up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor opened her eyes, looking over Louis’ shoulder to Harry. Then she smiled. “Hello, Harry,” she said in a mocking tone, showing her pervert teeth as she wrapped herself even closer to Louis. Louis then stiffened and dropped his arms from her, but she didn’t let go. It was like she was taunting him, showing him that she could still touch and hold </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>Louis. She pressed herself closer to his boyfriend and Harry snapped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bitch,” he snapped, jumping up and shoving Eleanor off of Louis. She didn’t even stumble back, just took a graceful step backwards with a smirk. Louis grabbed onto Harry’s wrist, almost like he was scared of him attacking or something. Which he wouldn’t do… probably. “Get the fuck out,” he growled, narrowing his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor’s smile dropped. “Fine,” she snapped back, taking another step back. She looked past Harry to look at Louis. “I’ll see you later. It’s obvious that </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t ready to get a grip. I imagine you’ll need another beard soon, and I’ll be back when that time comes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis narrowed his eyes, tugging Harry closer to him. “Like he said,” he said tightly, narrowing his eyes. “Get the fuck out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eleanor’s face hardened. “Fine then,” she said, spinning on her heels and walking out of the room. But before she could leave, she turned around in the doorway and looked back at them. “Oh, and Harry?” Her eyes flicked from Harry’s face to his body. “Congratulations,” she spat, before stalking out of the room without another word. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Louis looked over at his friend apologetically. “Sorry about that, Ni. I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” he said, grabbing Clifford by the collar and pulling him away from the other man. </p><p>Harry frowned as well, looking at the dog with a furrowed brow. “Yeah…” he said thoughtfully. “He’s usually super sweet and friendly…”</p><p>Niall shrugged, doing his best to look unbothered even though they all knew he wasn’t the biggest fan of pets- let alone big, growling dogs. “It’s alright,” he said tightly, letting out a forced laugh. “I guess he just doesn’t like me that much.”</p><p>“Either that or he’s just really protective of Haz,” Zayn pointed out.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to everyone leaving POSITIVE comments. I promise they make my day and make me want to write, even if I don’t respond to all of them. I really am so thankful for everyone who has been enjoying the story so far. You mean the world to me always ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>March 11, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall flopped down onto the couch beside Harry tiredly, groaning as his butt hit the cushions. “Damn I forgot how tiring touring is,” he said in exhaustion, leaning over to rest his head against the curly haired man’s shoulder and closing his eyes. “I feel like I haven’t slept in ages.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You had a nap forty five minutes ago,” Louis pointed out, reaching over to poke him in the stomach in response. He was seated on the other side of Harry, his arm spread across the younger man’s shoulders, keeping him held close to his chest. It was kind of protective, but Harry liked it. Ever since finding out that he was pregnant, Louis had decided to make it his goal to shield Harry. Like, become a physical shield. And that included always making sure they were plastered together at all times. To Harry, it just showed him that Louis cared. And he liked that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall swatted him away tiredly, his hand missing Louis’ miserably as he kept his eyes squeezed closed. “Stop bothering me, Tommo. I’m trying to take a nap on your boyfriend,” he muttered tiredly, snuggling his face further into Harry’s shoulder and causing the twenty five year old to giggle a little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go sleep on the beds if you’re so tired,” Harry commented, but he didn’t make a move to shrug his best friend away. “You do know that your hotel room is just a couple feet down the hall from this one, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t wanna. I don’t wanna get up,” the Irish man mumbled, his voice muffled from where it was shoved in Harry’s shoulder. He then shifted so that his arm swung around Harry’s chest, pulling himself even closer. “Besides, you’re warm and comfy, Haz.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam sighed as he shuffled over to the massive chair that was in the hotel room and flopped down in it as well, similar to the way that Niall had done just a few moments before. “You do know you all have your own hotel rooms, right?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t see why we all need to gather in mine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You love us,” Louis shot back, smiling smugly at him. “And you don’t have the heart to kick us out either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam rolled his eyes in response to that, but they all knew he didn’t mean it. Liam loved them all to bits, no matter how much he sometimes tried to deny it. “I’m not going to kick you out. I was just looking forward to a hotel room all to myself now that Ollie and Bear have gone back to LA for a little while,” he commented with a sigh. His eyes then narrowed at the ball of black fur that was lying at Louis’ feet, and frowned. “And I don’t see why you needed to bring your dog either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the mention of his name, Clifford looked up at Liam with his shaggy black head. He seemed to blink a few times, before becoming uninterested and lying back down. Louis patted him with his foot. “Harry wanted him to come with us,” he answered easily with a shrug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled at that. “Of course I did. He gets lonely when he’s all by himself,” he said with a small pout, reaching down to rub the dog’s ears. Clifford perked up at that, his head popping up to lick at Harry’s fingers, causing the singer to laugh. Clifford then stood up and hopped into Harry’s lap, taking up most of the room on the couch from being so big. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis frowned as the big black dog plopped his butt onto his lap, while his head snuggled against Harry’s chest. “Traitor,” the Donny man said, narrowing his eyes at the dog. “I swear Clifford likes Hazza better than me. He doesn’t even pay attention to me at all whenever Harry’s in the same room.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was true, Clifford loved Harry. When Louis and Harry had been dating before, Clifford had always been drawn to Harry. Never had he gone through a stage where he was nervous or cautious around the curly haired lad, it was like as soon as he met Harry he loved him. And now more than ever, he seemed to love Harry even more. If they were on the couch, Clifford would sit beside or on Harry. If they were going on a walk, Clifford would walk next to Harry. If they were eating at the table, Clifford would sit under Harry’s chair. It was like he had dropped Louis completely in order to be next to Harry at all times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He probably just likes me better,” Harry answered with a smile, rubbing Clifford’s ears lovingly. “I’m his favourite.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled at that, leaning over to press a kiss right on Harry’s dimpled cheek. “Kind of jealous, to be honest,” he commented, his lips brushing over Harry’s skin and causing him to smile wider so that his dimple popped out even more. “But I understand. You’re my favourite too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blushed while Zayn pretended to gag. “Please don’t have sex now,” he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “I don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself if I see you two having sex again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam’s head popped up at that. “Yeah, please don’t on my couch,” he said with a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Harry’s blush grew even redder. “When did you see us before?” He asked, his eyes widening in surprise. It was no secret anymore that the two of them were having sex, and had been doing so regularily for those five years they were together, but he had no idea that any of them had seen them in the act. Not that it was surprising, since they were always in a tight radius from being on tour, but still. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn just shrugged, waving it off. “I don’t know, dozens of times. Really, you two weren’t ever sneaky as teenagers. You were hooking up any time we weren’t on stage,” he commented easily, like he was talking about something as natural as the weather. “And I’ve heard Harry even more times than that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re still not sneaky,” Niall pointed out at Louis. Then he looked at Harry. “And you’re still not quiet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blushed even more and swatted at his best friend, causing Niall to cackle and move off of his shoulder. Louis on the other hand, just rolled his eyes, unimpressed at the dark haired man. “You can’t talk after when Haz and I walked in on you and Gigi not so long ago,” he said dryly. Zayn responded by chucking a pillow at his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Surprisingly enough, I don’t actually want to hear about your sex life,” Liam commented, wrinkling his nose. Once  daddy direction, always daddy direction. “Anyways, I want to watch some TV and I think Haz is sitting on the remote.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry frowned. “No I’m not,” he argued, his hands patting Clifford. “I would feel it if I was sitting on it. Besides, I don’t wanna get up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You never feel it and it’s always there,” he said. He then sat up and reached over to dig around behind Harry’s back in search of the remote, causing the younger to yelp. He tried to dig around when suddenly there was a growl next to him. Everyone’s heads snapped over to Clifford, who was staring Niall down, growling as the hairs on his back bristled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall’s eyes widened as he scooched away from the dog. Louis frowned, reaching over to smack Clifford gently on the head. “Hey,” he snapped. “Cliff, no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Clifford was just staring at Niall, whose hands were still rummaging beside Harry, and he growled again. Harry’s eyes widened at the usually friendly dog who had never growled at anyone before. “Clifford,” he said with a frown, causing the dog to stop and look at him. “No. Stop that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At Harry’s words, the dog stopped growling. But he didn’t settle down- the hairs on his back still standing up and he was still sitting up on alert, staring at Niall. Meanwhile, the blond man just backed away, slowly taking his hands off of Harry while looking surprised. “I’m going, I’m going,” he muttered to the dog, scorching backwards. After he got a certain distance away, Clifford settled back down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked over at his friend apologetically. “Sorry about that, Ni. I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” he said, grabbing Clifford by the collar and pulling him away from the other man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry frowned as well, looking at the dog with a furrowed brow. “Yeah…” he said thoughtfully. “He’s usually super sweet and friendly…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall shrugged, doing his best to look unbothered even though they all knew he wasn’t the biggest fan of pets- let alone big, growling dogs. “It’s alright,” he said tightly, letting out a forced laugh. “I guess he just doesn’t like me that much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Either that or he’s just really protective of Haz,” Zayn pointed out. “I mean, I don’t really see why he would suddenly growl at Ni for touching him, but I guess it happens when a dog is super protective. Gigi’s sister’s dog was so protective of her for a while that she wouldn’t let anyone touch her. Nearly bit my hand off when I tried to cuddle with Gi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam raised his eyebrows at that. “Really? Why was that?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn shrugged for a moment easily, but then stopped. Something seemed to flash from behind his eyes, but Harry couldn’t tell what it was. “It was when Gi was pregnant with Chrissy,” he commented lightly, but he sounded different than he had just a few moments ago. Liam swallowed, his eyes darting over towards Harry and Louis. Harry felt his stomach drop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However Niall, blissfully oblivious Niall, decided it was then that he broke the silence. “Oh, here’s the remote!” He exclaimed, changing the subject as he reached under his leg to pull the remote out of the cushions. “I was sitting on it. Sorry about that, Hazza.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry forced a smile onto his face as he turned to his best friend, trying his best to look as normal as possible despite feeling squirmish all of a sudden. It didn’t help that Liam was still looking at him. “I told you I wasn’t sitting on it,” he said with a forced chuckle. He shifted, swallowing thickly. “Now let’s watch something. Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blond man then turned on some ransom show on the TV while everyone else slowly started paying attention to it. Clifford then walked back over to rest himself on Harry’s lap, while Louis pulled him closer to his side, squeezing him comfortingly. Then they settled in as well to relax and watch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed as he landed on his back on his bed, closing his eyes tiredly. He just sorta flopped over, going completely limp as soon as he hit the softness of the hotel room mattress. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until now, but now that his eyes had closed he knew that there was no way they were going to open without a fight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bed dipped as Louis sat on it beside him, flopping down next to him in a similar fashion. Only a moment later, a hand came up to Harry’s head and started massaging it gently, causing the younger man to practically purr. Louis hummed. “Have a good day?” He asked softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed again, too tired to open his eyes or even move his head to nod. “Yeah. We should have days off more often,” he replied, his voice low with tiredness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis shifted beside him, letting out a small scoff. “We really should,” he muttered, brushing his fingers through the curls in just the way Harry liked it. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll make sure you get more days off, yeah? You shouldn’t be working so hard anyways.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty four year old bit back his comment about how he was only a few weeks along and that he would be missing a huge chunk of the tour anyways in just a couple months, but he swallowed it back because he really didn’t want to argue with Louis right now, especially when he was too tired to even reply. Plus, the scalp massage felt really nice. So instead of responding, he just snuggled closer. “I had fun with the boys. We should hang out with them more. Without work,” he mumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older nodded. “We should. It’s nice when we can see them without having to work at the same time,” he agreed, though Harry was hardly listening to him anymore. “But it was a little awkward when Cliff started getting all defensive. Stupid dog is trying to give it away before we do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t call him stupid. He’s a baby,” Harry mumbled, cracking an eye open for the first time. “And he didn’t mean to. He was just protecting me from the big and scary monster named Niall.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that comment, Louis snorted a little. “As if anyone could be scared of Niall. He’s an Irish princess on the inside and out,” he joked, rolling his eyes. “But I think Z’s right about Clifford. I think he can tell. Like, smell the baby or something and wants to protect it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clifford can smell our little bean?” Harry asked, smiling as he closed his eyes again. “I like that. That’s cute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like that you’re calling the baby a bean,” Louis said, obviously smiling just at the tone of his voice. Harry could feel the fondness radiating off of him even with his eyes closed, and it made him smile too. “That’s cute. Like you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I didn’t want to keep calling the baby an ‘it,’” the curly haired singer said defensively. “It seems wrong that we would call our that. And I didn’t want to assume it’s gender, so yeah. It’s a bean now.” Not that Harry had planned on giving the baby a nickname. It wasn’t something he had done for the twins. It had just started happening where he would refer to the baby as a ‘little bean.’ And it just sort of stuck with him to the point where he didn’t really notice that he was doing it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled. “Well I like it. Little bean,” he said softly, his hand moving down to cup at Harry’s small bump gently. “It’s cute as long as you don’t go and name our baby Bean when it’s born.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry giggled at that, feeling butterflies erupt in his stomach from where his boyfriend was touching it. But they weren’t unpleasant at all. “I don’t know, Lou. It was definitely a strong candidate for our baby’s name,” he teased lightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You better not,” the Doncaster man said with a small warning in his tone. Harry just smiled in response, closing his eyes again as he let himself relax into the other man. Louis’ voice died off, before he swallowed, bringing Harry’s attention back. “Did you have a nickname for Allie and Robbie?” He asked quietly, the humor gone from his voice and instead replaced with strain. Like it pained him to ask. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes opened at that, suddenly feeling a lot less tired than he had before. He looked up at Louis, who was looking at him with a bitten lip. He sighed, looking away. “No,” he answered after a moment. “No I didn’t. It was… it was different when I was pregnant then. Different than it is now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How so?” Louis asked, though it was obvious it was hard for him. He could see it in his crustal blue eyes that looked so open and vulnerable, but also caring at the same time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry bit his lip as his eyes landed down to where his shirt was riding up to see Louis’ hand still pressed flat against his skin. His breath shuddered. “I wasn’t happy then. About anything. Not you, not me, not the babies,” he said thickly. “Not anything.” It was hard to talk about how it was before. It was like revisiting a time that felt so long ago but was really just a little over a year ago. All of the emotions and memories always just came right back to him in those moments and he really remembered how hard it all was for so long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ hand tracked back up until he found Harry’s face. He cupped his cheek, prompting the other man to look at him. Blue eyes found green, and it made Harry swallow thickly. “Are you happy now?” Louis asked gently, thumbing the curly haired singer’s cheek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, pressing a kiss to Louis’ lingering hand. “I’m very happy now,” he answered in response, smiling emotionally. That seemed to be all Louis needed to hear, because he was then pulling Harry into his chest. He tugged the younger man into his lap so that each one of his thighs hung off either side of his lap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good. Because I want you to always be happy with me,” he said, wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist. The younger then curled in, resting his cheek against Louis’ shoulder while he wrapped his arms around him as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well that’s good, because you make me very happy. You and Allie and Robbie and Freddie and Clifford and little bean make me happy,” he said, sighing as he smiled softly. “But especially you, Lou.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis pressed a kiss to the shell of his ear. “You make me very happy too, Harry Styles,” he whispered. His tone made a shiver run up Harry’s spine. “You know, we do have two more hours until Lottie brings the kids back up here if you want to…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled a little at the proposition, but snuggled closer instead. “Can we just… stay like this for a while?” He asked tentatively, peeking over Louis’ shoulder at the window outside. “Just hold me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t see his face, but he could tell that Louis smiled softly again.  “Of course, darling,” he cooed, his arms tightening around his boyfriend. “We can stay like this for as long as you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was certain that he wanted to stay like that forever. And he was certain Louis would hold him for that long too. He smiled. “I love you,” he said quietly, his eyes closing as he started drifting off into sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis pressed a kiss to his face as the younger man fell asleep. “I love you too, baby.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“I’m pregnant,” Harry said before even he knew that he was saying it. Everyone’s heads snapped over to look at him, including Louis who looked down at him in shock. Harry looked up at Louis and smiled. “We’re having a baby.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ahhh. Sorry this took so long. It’s exam week for me this week and I’ve been studying (gross, I know). But I wrote this chapter so I hope you like it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Eleven:</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>March 18, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was twelve weeks along when it happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a normal day for the band. They had just done the final sound check of the stage to get ready for the show that night. But it was just a few hours in between them where the boys actually got to relax that day. It wasn’t long that they got that time for, so they were all ready to just relax once that time finally came. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up in Liam’s lap while his head was lying on Louis’ lap. Neither of them minded Harry being sprawled out between them, which wasn’t surprising. He had always been very tactile when they had first formed the band, always looking for hugs or touches or cuddles. And ever since then he had just become more so. But none of them minded. They had never minded whenever the youngest singer would use them for a cuddle or just to touch. Actually it was kind of cute. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall meanwhile was sitting just a few feet away from them, across the room on his phone. He was scrolling through Twitter again, as he usually liked to do during his free time. While Liam was the influencer of the group, Niall was just on social media for the gossip and the ruthless comments. It brought him a weird sense of joy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh look at that,” he said suddenly, a small smirk appearing on his lips. He turned his phone around so that they could see the screen he was looking at. “Larry is trending again. You two just keep making the top ten hashtags now that we’ve been on tour.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn clucked his tongue. He didn’t quite look approving, but he didn’t look disapproving either. He just had a tight smile on his lips. “Management is gonna be pissed once they see,” he commented, looking down at his own phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, some of those edits are actually quite good,” Liam spoke up, his hands mindlessly massaging Harry’s feet, which practically made the younger man purr. He knew he wasn’t far along yet to actually get really swollen feet, but that didn’t stop them from hurting naturally from being on his feet all day while performing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis snorted. “You watch edits of me and Hazza, Payno?” He asked with a teasing smirk. “What, do you look them up on purpose or something? Because I’m flattered, I really am. But that’s a little weird even for you, mate.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t!” Liam exclaimed, at the same time that Niall said “who doesn’t?” Liam blushed while Harry just giggled into his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam cleared his throat, his face still flushed a pinkish colour. “I don’t watch them on </span>
  <em>
    <span>purpose</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And I don’t look them up either,” he claimed, crossing his hands over his chest. “I’m just saying that they’re everywhere. You can’t search up One Direction without finding an edit. And I’m just saying that they’re kinda good, you know? They’re good works- uh- edits.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry just smiled, reaching over to pat his friend on the knee mock sympathetically. “Sure, Li. We definitely don’t think you do that,” he said, fighting the smile that was tugging at his lips. Louis smirked, squeezing his hip in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Harry. At least someone- oh wait,” he scowled, his brows tugging together when he noticed both Harry and Louis watching him, both fighting smiles that were tugging at their lips. He huffed again. “Nevermind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall just shrugged, not at all bothered. “They are actually good. I sometimes get them all over my Instagram feed, and they’re really good. Also the compilations on YouTube are good too,” he stated as a matter of fact. The other boys just blinked at him but Niall barely noticed. “My personal favourites are the sexual tension ones. They’re so real that it almost feels like you’re there!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn blinked at him a few times as if just taking in what the blond man had just said. “Niall. You were there,” he said, furrowing his brow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Irish man waved him off. “But it’s so tense that I can feel it </span>
  <em>
    <span>through</span>
  </em>
  <span> the screen!” He exclaimed, grabbing his phone again. “Here, I can pull up the video for you guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry cringed, imagining all the videos of him and Louis as horny teenagers on stage. Just the thought of it was embarrassing enough. “Yeah you don’t need to do that, Ni,” he said hastily before his friend could pull up the videos. “Besides, were we really that obvious?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Were?” Zayn asked, raising his eyebrows. Harry nodded, causing the raven haired man to let out a bark of laughter. “Harry, innocent boy, you still </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>that obvious? How do you think they get enough content for all those Larry videos, hmm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty five year old flushed. “We’re not that obvious! Considering it’s been ten years, I think we’ve done a good job at keeping it low key!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam hummed, nudging his legs. “You’d think that,” he stated, smiling a little. “But with you two, really it doesn’t take much to notice it. You guys have never really been able to constrain it, have you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s face turned even pinker while Louis just smiled fondly at him, his hands coming down to run his fingers through the other man’s curls lovingly. “Nope. Never can with someone as perfect as my little Hazza,” he cooed, his fingers tracing through Harry’s hair. Harry’s eyes looked up, locking onto Louis’. He smiled so that his dimples popped out. He didn’t remember the last time he had felt so in love. Louis was looking at him like he was the only person in the whole world, with such caring wonder. It was perfect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall groaned. “See- this is exactly what I mean! You can feel the tension from here!” He exclaimed, while snapping a picture on his phone. He looked at it, before throwing his hands in the air. “Like, are you kidding me? This is the cutest thing ever! I would go viral if I ever posted even one of these!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blond man said it light heartedly, just like it was a joke, but it just made the smile slip off of Louis’ face. Instead, it was replaced with a scowl. “Yeah, too bad you can’t post them,” he said, his voice dropping lowly in anger. “Because it’s such a crime for me to post any picture with my boyfriend who happens to have kids with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room’s temperature dropped suddenly. Niall’s hand lowered the phone slowly, biting down onto his lip and probably regretting even bringing it up in the first place. Zayn and Liam both shifted awkwardly. Meanwhile, Harry felt his heart sink again as reality struck at their good mood like a knife. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nobody really knew how to respond. It had been years- ten years, in fact- that their relationship had been kept a secret. Any condolences or reassurances had long passed their expiration date. They meant nothing anymore. Nothing they could say or do would change anything and that’s what made it all the more frustrating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s bullshit,” Louis snapped, looking down at his hands. His fingers were cascading through Harry’s hair anymore, rather it felt like they were pulling at it. Not in a painful way, but not pleasantly either. “All of it is bullshit! We’re together again and we have kids but they still won’t fucking let us tell anyone! Just because we’re gay? Half the world even suspects anyways!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry whimpered a little when a harsh tug came at his hair. “Lou,” he whined quietly, wincing at the handful of hair that was in his boyfriend’s clenched fist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked down suddenly, snapped out of his rant by the small noise. His hands loosened their grip immediately while his face softened. “Oh shit, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, his tone softening as he tangled his fingers. He leaned down to press a kiss to Harry’s forehead in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed, closing his eyes at the feeling of lips on his forehead. “It’s okay,” he murmured sadly. “I hate it too. I hate that we can’t come out, Lou. I hate that they’re ashamed of us and that even our kids didn’t know the truth because of it. I’m so, so sick of all of it, Louis. I don’t want to hide anymore.” Harry’s lip trembled, and he needed to bite it back to keep from crying. He was so tired of all the pain. The hiding was just too much- it had been too much back when they were younger, but now… now it was unbearable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ hands reached under the younger man’s body and pulled him upwards, tugging Harry into his lap again so that his head was buried in his neck. “I know, sweetheart,” he mumbled, his own voice sounding strained. His hands rubbed down Harry’s back while Harry just cuddled into him. “I know baby. It’s not fair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No it’s not,” whimpered Harry quietly, feeling himself start to get upset. He inhaled Louis’ scent to try and calm himself down, which worked a little bit. Not enough to make him feel better, though. “I don’t get it. Why does Liam get to come out but we can’t? It’s not fair, Louis. I don’t want to do this anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall made himself known by huffing angrily. “You’re right it’s not fair,” he said, his eyes narrowing. Happy Niall was quickly replaced by a dangerously pissed off Niall. He only ever got like this when it came to people he loved, especially when it came to Harry or the twins who he was the most protective of. “You don’t get to come out because Harry’s apparently a </span>
  <em>
    <span>womanizer</span>
  </em>
  <span> and they want to keep that image. It’s bullshit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t even like girls!” the curly haired singer added. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which makes it even worse,” Zayn jumped in, his lips formed into a tight, thin line. His eyes were fixed in a hard, brooding stare. “This whole thing is fucked up, and it keeps getting worse because Management doesn’t want to backtrack because that would make them look bad. They’d have to explain Eleanor then and then the whole world would find out everything that they’ve done. They’ll do anything to keep their ‘reputation.’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis growled. “As if anyone gives two shits about their reputation. I just want to be allowed to walk down the street in public with my fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend </span>
  </em>
  <span>and our </span>
  <em>
    <span>kids!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry bit down onto his lip in response, the words being spat out with such force and power that it took everything he had not to flinch. “So until I can do that without needing a lecture about how wrong it is, I won’t be caring about anyone else's reputation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group of them fell into silence. Louis’ words were still haninging thickly in the air, hovering over their heads like a fog. After what felt like a long time, Liam shifted. “You should do it,” he said quietly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. He was looking at Harry and Louis with a bitten lip. “You should just do it. Come out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Liam you know they can’t-” Zayn started, but he hadn’t gotten to even finish his sentence before Liam was cutting him off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not, Zayn?” He asked, sitting up straighter. He crossed his arms over his chest seriously, a frown pulling his lips into a tight line. “Why can’t they? I’m out and everyone knows and there isn’t an issue- no drop of fans. Besides, most of the fans already support them anyway! Besides, what’s the worst management will do? Kick us out of the band? Then we could get what we want anyways and we can all make our own music again. Or even reform the band again with a different company? They have no power anymore!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall frowned as well thoughtfully. “Li, Management would be pissed,” he warned quietly, but it was obvious the words were processing in his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who cares? Who actually give a shit?” Liam answered back, throwing his hands in the air. “It’s been ten years- longer than any of us have been with anyone. If anyone deserves this, it’s Lou and Haz.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry bit on his lip, the words echoing in his brain. Liam’s words… they made sense. Now that he thought about it, there really wasn’t much Management could do anymore. The world knew about Allie and Robbie, and it wasn’t like they could get fired mid-tour. Besides, even if they did get fire, then they wouldn’t be forced to be with a terrible management. It all made sense. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shifted over, looking at Louis who looked thoughtful as well. “Lou?” He asked, nudging his boyfriend. “What… what do you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked at him seriously. “I say fuck it,” he said, his jaw tight. His hand came up to cup Harrys jaw gently. “We deserve this. We should do it. What… what do you want to do Hazza?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed. “Yes,” he answered back, blinking a few times. “We only have a few weeks anyways, Lou. Then everyone will be able to tell anyways. I’m already, you know…. you can already tell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… you’re saying you want to?” Louis asked softly, his eyes glistening with hope. Harry swallowed, nodding again as he bit down on his bottom lip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to,” Harry answered back. He moved closer to Louis, leaning over towards his face. He then pressed a soft, but reassuring kiss to his lips. “I really want to, Lou. And I want to do it before we need to do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ eyes darted down to where his boyfriend’s stomach was covered by a thick sweater, and smiled a little. “Yeah, I want to too,” he said softly, his eyes lifting to make their way up to Harry’s. “I’m done hiding and playing by their rules-“ his hand grabbed firmly onto Harry’s “- I’m ready to be happy. With you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, are you guys really doing this?” Niall asked, his eyes widening a little. “Like- for real?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ hand tightened from where it was wrapped around Harry’s. “Yeah,” he answered, his voice shaking s little. “We are.” Harry felt the same way. It was actually pretty emotional. He and Louis were finally coming out. They were finally going to be free. They could finally be happy together without having to hide it. It all felt so surreal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis pulled out his phone and scrolled for a minute, looking for something specific. Harry was about to ask him about it, when the phone was promptly shoved in his face. “What about this one?” Louis asked, showing him the picture he had chosen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was one that they had taken together just a few nights ago. It was a black and white picuture of the two of them that Harry had taken after stealing Louis’ phone. In it, they were in their dressing room, both in a good mood. Harry was smiling brightly at the camera, while Louis laughed fondly behind him. It was a super cute picture of both of them, and just looking at it made Harry happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like that one,” he said softly, his eyes gazing over the screen of the picture fondly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Me too,” he said, taking the phone back. Harry leaned over to rest his head on Louis’ shoulder while the older man tapped away on his phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After just a few moments, he exhaled. “Done,” he said, his voice tight with emotion. He nudged Harry gently, showing him the phone. Harry felt himself tear up looking at it. <br/><br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      <em>Louist91<br/><br/><br/><br/></em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Always be my baby 💙💚 @Harrystyles</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span></span>
  <b>
    <em>
      <br/>
      <br/>
    </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry looked up, seeing Louis’ eyes were watery as well. All the emotions he felt were reflected in those deep, crystal eyes. Without a warning, Harry reached over to cup Louis’ face and clash their lips together. Louis responded by dropping his phone onto the cushions and grabbing the younger man by the waist, pulling him right into his lip without breaking the kiss. Harry smiled against his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only seconds later did Louis’ phone start going crazy from the responses to the post, but neither of them paid any mind to that. It was just the two of them in their own little world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lou,” Harry said sweetly against his lips without breaking the kiss. “We’re free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed, his hands squeezing Harry’s waist comfortingly. “Yes darling. Yes we are,” he hushed, his own voice sounding a little awestruck. “I love you so much, Hazza.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, Lou,” Harry whispered. “I love you so much too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was later on that Zayn pieced something together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was probably fifteen minutes later and they were all still hanging around together in the hotel. Louis had received several phone calls from Management, but he had silenced them all. Then he had done the same to Harry and the other boys’ phones, silencing any of the calls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, there wasn’t anything to do. Even if Mansgement took down the post, or made Louis do it, nothing would change. Everyone already saw it. There would be millions of screenshots. There was no way to hide it anymore. And the thought delighted Harry. They were free and no one could stop that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was cuddling against Louis’ side while the five of them watched some Tv (Harry had no idea what was even on. He was more in it to get some free cuddles.) It was then that Zayn came to a realization. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat up straighter suddenly, causing everyone to look over at him. He then grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and muted whatever was on. “Hang on,” he said aloud, turning to face the couple on the couch. “What does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be a bit more specific, Z,” he commented loosely, tugging Harry’s hair soothingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Zayn wasn’t deterred- it was possible that he hadn’t even heard. “You just said that you ‘only have a few weeks anyways.’ Harry, you said that just now,” he pressed, his eyes widening at the pair. “And then you said ‘everyone will be able to tell.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked in surprise. He hadn’t even realized. “Oh,” he said quietly, his mouth parting a little. “Did I say that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zayn bobbed his head up and down. “Yeah,” he said, his eyes widening more and more by the minute. “What… what does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes darted up to Louis, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. “What does that mean?” He repeated, his mouth falling open. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Well, it’s just- we weren’t trying to- just that- what Harry was trying to say was that-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pregnant,” Harry said before even he knew that he was saying it. Everyone’s heads snapped over to look at him, including Louis who looked down at him in shock. Harry looked up at Louis and smiled. “We’re having a baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a whole five seconds for anyone to react. Niall, who had been sitting across the room from them, suddenly jumped up. “Holy shit!” He exclaimed, his eyes blowing wide. He ran over towards them, his arms reaching to shove Louis out of his way so that he could grab Harry. “Move Tommo, give me that boy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry giggled as Niall shoved Louis away from him in order to grab him into a bone crushing hug. He nearly squealed again when the blond man actually picked him up and twirled him around in the air, causing Harry to grab onto his best friend’s shoulders  for dear life. “Niall! You’re gonna squish the baby!” He laughed merrily as he latched onto the other man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Niall didn’t let go. “No way am I letting go!” He exclaimed stubbornly, placing Harry back down onto the ground, but keeping him trapped in a tight hug. “Harry! You’re having a baby!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam snapped out of it. “Oh my god!” He gasped, jumping up as well and rushing over to them. “Oh my god! I knew it- I told you, Harry! I was the one who suggested it to you! I can’t believe it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. “I played a part in this too, you know,” he added in, but the light tone in his voice and the fond eyes he was giving Harry sold him out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush Tommo, this is Harry’s moment,” Zayn hushed him, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and somehow managing to pull him out of Niall’s grip. He then pulled Harry into his own hug, pressing his chin against the top of his curls. “Congratulations, babes,” he cooed at Harry, dropping a kiss to his forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this!” Niall breathed, running a hand through his blond hair as he looked between Harry and Louis. “Like- you guys are having another baby! How far along even are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Twelve weeks,” Harry answered without a second thought, beaming. His eyes then widened as he reached down for his sweater hem. “Wanna see?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” Niall said at the same time that Louis answered, “no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Harry could pull up his shirt, Louis’ hand reached forward to grab it first. He then pulled Harry against himself, his hand moving down to rest right on the tiny bump. “Mine,” he said warningly, his hand thumbing the other man’s stomach. It made Harry feel tingly on the inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Niall pouted. “Louis,” he whined, his bottom lip jutting out pathetically. “I want to see my future god-child!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam and Zayn’s heads both snapped over to him. “Uh, excuse me?” Liam asked, his eyebrows shooting yo his forehead. “But who said you were going to be the godfather?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was implied,” the blond man said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m Harry’s best friend. Besides, I’m Allie and Robbie’s godfather so it only makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I don’t think so,” Zayn responded, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you’re planning on being the godfather you’re going to have to go through me first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry giggled as he watched his friend start to argue about who got to be the godfather. He leaned over to tuck his face into Louis’ neck, smiling. “I can tell that this is going to be a hard battle,” he said lightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Louis hummed, wrapping his free arm around Harry again. “Yeah? You up for that?” He asked, thumbing the fabric that was concealing his body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <b>
      
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, leaning upwards to press a lingering kiss to Louis’ mouth. “With you?” He asked, his eyes twinkling. “Always.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Their manager narrowed his eyes into slits. “We can do whatever we want. We own you,” he snarled. “You’re not coming out if we have anything to say about it, and we do. Nothing you can do can stop us.”</p><p>Harry sucked in a breath, sitting up straighter. He cast a glance over at Louis, who was in a staring match with their manager. “Actually, everyone will know soon enough anyways,” he said, turning to look at James. “Because I’m pregnant.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for such a long wait, I’ve been working through some family stuff, school and trying to finish up one of my other stories. Plus, writers block sucks. </p><p>Anyways, here’s another chapter. I hope you like it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>March 25, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After avoiding the oncoming meeting for over a week, it was getting impossible to hide from their Management team. There were calls almost every hour of them demanding a meeting with them. It got to the point where they would call Niall, Liam and Zayn as well. Of course the boys wouldn’t answer either, defending Louis and Harry until the very end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They called Harry so often- much more than anyone else. Maybe it was because they figured that he was going to be weaker and easier to manipulate than Louis was (which was somewhat true) but that didn’t mean that he was going to break. But the constant calls and texts did start getting to his head and he was getting more and more anxious about it, to the point that Louis had actually taken his phone away so that he wouldn’t have to see any of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t like the boys were in the dark about why their team was so desperate to get in touch- they knew the reason. It was about the post Louis had made on instagram- the coming-out post. He and Harry had finally come out to the public, and to say that the world had gone insane was an understatement. Twitter had actually crashed for two hours after only minutes of that post being released because of the responses. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>#Larrystylinson was trending everywhere, along with various different other hashtags that were all similar. They were all about the coming out- it was trending everywhere in the world, on all the platforms. People were going crazy, with both positive and negative feedback. The Larry shippers were all going crazy with excitement, and those tweets were the best thing for Harry. He loved looking at the tweets that the fans had sent him and Louis, showing their love and support for them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were also tons of tweets about the twins. Everyone was saying that they were Louis’ and showing various different proofs that they discovered after some deep-diving on the internet. A lot of them weren’t far off either, they were actually very close to being exactly right. It was actually a little bit scary the fact that their fans were practically FBI agents who could undercover everything, but he didn’t mind too much. After all, now that they were back together, there was no reason to keep the twins a secret. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, they weren’t all good feedback. Some of the tweets were from anits or just people who were angry about them coming out. People were on twitter, talking trash about Harry and trying to defend Eleanor. Those ones were the worst ones to Harry. The people who didn’t just couldn’t believe that their love was real, the ones that thought that the fake relationship between his boyfriend and his beard were true. He hated those ones. He also got quite a bit of hate, especially from the homophobes who would attack them in tweets and call them slurs and other names. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the best part of all was finally being able to be free. Harry was finally able to hold Louis’ hand whenever they walked outside. He was finally allowed to sit beside Louis during interviews. He was finally free of having to pretend to be a womanizer who dates every woman he’s seen within two feet of each other. He’s finally going to be able to gush about his boyfriend whenever anyone else does. He’s finally going to be able to post all those cute pictures he and Louis have together. The list was endless of all the things he had been longing desperately to do for years, but never had been able to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were finally free to be together, and that made all the backlash, both positive and negative, all worth it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was still getting harder and harder to avoid their team, especially when they had shows every other day. The boys would all get up to perform almost every night, and each night their team would be waiting on the sides to try and pull them into a meeting. The same thing went for soundchecks, prep for the show, ect. They were always there and trying to get in contact with them. Harry and Louis pretty much needed to get in and out as soon as possible to avoid them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Also, it was causing Harry some stress. What was supposed to be a wonderful experience of finally coming out, had been stressing him out quite a bit. He was getting anxious whenever they would get another call or when their Management would text them a warning. And ever since falling down the stairs, he had needed to try and stay as calm as possible as to not upset the fetus any more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was now thirteen weeks along and was sporting the tiniest little bump. It jutted out just enough to make itself noticeable and obviously not just a few extra pounds. His shirts that used to fit him comfortably were now tighter and showcased his tummy more than ever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis found it the cutest thing ever. It was something about the tiny little bump that just made him go all soft whenever he saw it. His expression would just melt into a soft smile if Harry walked in, and his eyes would go cloudy with fondness. At night Louis would hold Harry closer and draw mindless shapes onto the naked skin above his belly button. Then he would kiss Harry on his cheek and tell him how much he loved him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those were the nights that made everything- all the anxiety and stress- just melt away into inexistence. Harry lived for those moments. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other boys had also gone into full-time protective mode. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liam had stepped into his natural born role of becoming a mother hen, clucking around and making sure Harry had had enough to eat and drink that day, as well as keeping everyone posted on weekly bump-dates (bump updates) about the fetus and how much it had grown, as well as fun facts about each week. And Harry would just smile and nod and pretend that he hadn’t already done this and didn’t already know. He liked that Liam cared, and just appreciated that this was his way of showing it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zayn had taken to becoming an emotional support person for Harry. He had gone through the pregnancy stage first hand with Gigi not long ago, and knew better than any of the boys how to treat a pregnant person. He had offered his services on several occasions for Harry to vent to if he didn’t feel like talking to Louis. That included venting about Louis, but Harry had assured him that that probably wouldn’t happen. Louis had already been more than perfect. So then Zayn just shrugged and offered his foot massaging services instead, which Harry readily agreed to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there was Niall, who switched off into bodyguard mode moments after finding out about the baby. For the irish man, it was like a second nature to defend Harry, and that only increased after finding out. Whenever they walked anywhere (which was really only the stage and occasionally out in public) he would pretty much ignore their official bodyguards and walk directly beside Harry. The twenty five year old was pretty sure that Niall would have been willing to jump in front of a moving train if it came down to it, in order to protect Harry. It was sweet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was great for Harry too. He didn’t like to remember being pregnant with the twins very often, just because it had been the lowest point in his life. But now he found that he could actually look back on it without getting upset again. And he found that, while a few things were similar between the two, a lot was different. This time Harry genuinely felt happy about the idea of having a baby. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was sitting in the boardroom with Louis beside him, fiddling with his thumbs nervously. Despite their best efforts to just avoid a meeting all together, it got to the point where they couldn’t avoid their Management anymore, and were called in for a meeting. ‘Damage control’ is what they were calling it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ hand was interlocked tightly with Harry’s, one of his thumbs running itself over the soft skin of Harry’s hand gently. The gesture was soothing for them both. Nobody else was in the room yet, just the two of them. They had shown up early to the meeting to try and get a hold of themselves before the meeting started. It wasn’t working. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lou,” Harry whined, looking over to his boyfriend nervously. He was biting down on his bottom lip while his eyes were glassy and glazed over with nervousness. He was a wreck. “Lou. I don’t want to be here. Can we go home, please?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis looked over at him, and his face softened significantly. “I know you don’t baby,” he said softly, bringing his free hand up to cup Harry’s cheek gently. “I don’t either. But we’re going to get this over with and then it will be done, okay? Then we can go home and we won’t ever have to worry about any of this ever again. Just this one meeting and then we’ll be free, okay babe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pouted, leaning into the touch nonetheless. “I still don’t want to,” he said quietly, biting onto his lip as he tried to soak in Louis’ calming touch. “They’re going to be so angry, Lou. They’re going to yell at us and try to shove us back in the closet- I know they will. And I don’t want to go back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not going back in the closet, love,” Louis said gently. “The fans already know the truth and there’s no way to delete that. Even if they take down the post and try to set us up with beards, they’ll still know the truth. We’re not going back, Haz. We’re free now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No we’re not,” Harry mumbled, his face breaking. “They’re going to try something, Louis, you know they will. They have ways to try and cover it up and they’ll put us back in the closet. They have tricks for these types of things!” He was getting more and more upset about the meeting, almost to the point of crying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis pulled his hand out of Harry’ in order to cup his face with both hands. “Nothing is going to happen to us, Harry. I promise you that. I’m not going to let them try to seperate us again, okay?” He said with such determination that forced Harry to look into his eyes. “I’m not going to let them do that to us. No matter what.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty five year old looked up at him, blinking a few times. “How?” He asked meekly. Really Harry didn’t see how Louis was going to be able to stop whatever it was that their team was planning, but he trusted Louis. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face softened, and he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to the other man’s lips. “I don’t know darling. But I do know that I’m not going to let them do anything to us, Hazza. I’m not going to let them get to you, I promise,” he said. His hands then trailed down to the front of his shirt. “You just focus on taking care of our little bean and I’ll take care of you, alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While Harry still felt too reassured about the whole thing, Louis did help calm him down a little. His heart was still hammering against the inside of his chest and his stomach was a mess of nervous butterflies, but at least he knew that his boyfriend was there too and he wasn’t alone. Louis had a strange way of making even crappy situations just a little bit better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t even a minute later that Harry heard the sound of footsteps walking down the hallway. And by the sound of it, there were several pairs of feet, not just one pair that was James’. His eyes widened, the small bit of comfort seeping away. He looked up to Louis, who had heard the same thing. A brief look of nervousness flashed under his eyes as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry reached down to grab onto Louis’ hands, squeezing them tightly in his own. “Hey, he said, catching his boyfriend’s gaze. He looked into the hesitant, blue orbs, trying to seem sure. “It’s going to be alright, yeah? Nothing is going to happen to us, babe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Louis answered tightly, entwining their fingers. “Nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A second later, the door was being pushed open and the footsteps were marching into the room. Out of habit, Harry moved to pull his hands out of Louis’, but Louis just held him tighter. He looked over as over ten people, all various members of their management, marched into the room. They all had laptops and clipboards with them, along with matching steely expressions plastered onto their faces. It made the twenty five year old want to shrink back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>None of them said anything until they were all sitting in their own chairs at the board table. James walked in last of all, closing the door behind them with a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>click</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He then stalked across the room until he came to his seat in the middle of the table, directly across from the couple. He put his hands in front of him, clasped tightly together. “Tomlinson, Styles,” he said cooly, looking at each of them individually. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“James,” Louis said, his own tone cold enough to match their Manager’s. His eyes were narrowed in hostility, so much so that Harry would have been scared if he had been on the other end of that glare. But he wasn’t. He was on the same side as Louis and was therefore glad his boyfriend possessed such steely cold expressions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been avoiding us. Our calls, meetings… you know you’re not supposed to do that,” the older man said with a clicking, disapproving noise coming from his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry rolled his eyes. “Gee, I wonder why,” he said, his voice softer but still sarcastic. Louis squeezed his hands supportively while James just glowered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No back talk, Styles. You’re under contract,” he said tightly, not finding Harry’s attitude amusing at all. Harry shifted back again, his confidence faltering under the other man. James, however, leaned forward to look them in the eyes. “Now, I don’t want to waste any more time because frankly, we’ve already wasted enough because of you two. Tell me, Styles, do you know why you’re in here today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other members of their management were tapping away on their computers, seeming to be hanging off of every word spoken. It was unclear exactly what they were doing, but it obviously wasn’t good. Harry opened his mouth, but found that he was lost for words. He couldn’t answer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though Louis could. “Because we told the world the truth,” he answered, his hand tight around Harry’s as he answered for him without hesitation. His tone was cold and harsh. “We did what we’ve been wanting to do for years. And you are all a bunch of homophobic assholes who can’t handle that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr Tomlinson, please,” one girl spoke up. She was tapping on her laptop, but paused to pipe up, looking directly at Louis. She was obviously new to the team, since Harry didn’t recognize her. Or maybe he just didn’t really pay attention to them very often. “Throwing names around isn’t going to get us anywhere. Not all of us here are homophobic, we just-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hang on. Let me stop you right there,” The Doncaster man said, his voice cutting her off before she could get another word in. The girl snapped her mouth shut promptly, looking a little put out. “Don’t even try to tell me you lot aren’t homophobic when we’re literally in a meeting about why me and my boyfriend can’t come out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl huffed, sitting up a little straighter in her seat. “Well if you had let me continue before interrupting, you would have heard me say that we aren’t homophobic, we’re just more interested in doing what’s best for the sucess of the band rather than it’s members’ love lives.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh please,” Harry said, scoffing in response to that. “Let’s call a spade a spade. There’s no need to try to justify your </span>
  <em>
    <span>reasoning</span>
  </em>
  <span> for being homophobic. If you ask us, or any decent human being for that matter, the reasons don’t matter nearly as much as the result.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How about if none of it matters, hmm?” Snapped James, silencing all three of them. His neck had turned a terrible shade of pink, which it happened to do whenever he was angry. Or whenever he was talking to Harry (they both were pretty much the same thing anyway.) “Let’s just move on from this nonsense and get on with this meeting!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ eyes narrowed. “There’s no reason we should be having his meeting anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James ignored him. “We already have a solution lined up, though you two really did make this more difficult to pull off by postponing this meeting. However, with some convincing to the public, I think we can go with the original story that Tomlinson’s account was hacked. Styles hasn’t posted anything on the subject, which makes this all the more easier...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s heart dropped. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Story? Hacked? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He didn’t exactly know what was going on at the moment, but he knew by those words that it wasn’t good. After a few moments, he realized with a feeling of coldness, that they were trying to do the one thing they had been trying to avoid. They were trying to put them back in the closet. His head snapped over to look at Louis, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion as he was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hang on!” Louis shouted as a look of realisation and anger crossed over his facial expression. “What!?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James looked at him, an unimpressed expression on his face. “Do you have a question, Tomlinson? Are we going too fast for you to understand?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No I understand perfectly clear what you’re trying to say, I’m just putting a stop in it because it’s not happening!” Louis snapped, his hands clenching at his side as he glared at them. “You’re trying to put me and Harry back in the closet and that isn’t going to happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the other management team members shifted forwards in their chair, looking uncomfortable with the tone the other man was using. “You have to understand, Mr Tomlinson. Having two gay members of the band is bad for business, much less if they’re in a relationship. We’re just trying to make this better for everyone, yourselves included,” he said, pushing his glasses further onto his face nervously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a good thing he was nervous about Louis' response, as Louis turned around to face him, all of his fury radiating off towards the employee. “Good for business?! Are you fucking kidding me?” He snapped, causing the man to visibly shrink back. “You’re trying to deny me and Harry being together by claiming my account was hacked because you lot can’t get in it your thick minds that we ARE TOGETHER!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And don’t try to pull the better-for-business card,” Harry added on, straightening up to help Louis argue for them. He eyed all of them disapprovingly. “You’re not tricking anyone. We both know the majority of our fan base was shipping us together even before all of this. They’ve been supporting our relationship for years, so don’t even try and tell us that the fans will turn against us because of this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James groaned. “Louis, Harry. Listen to me,” he said seriously. Harry looked over, raising his eyebrows expectantly. James never used their first names, just their last names as a sort of belittling insult. “You need to think of this from my point of view. We already said Larry Stylinson wasn’t a thing, even going so far as to tweet that it was bullshit from Louis’ own Twitter. To go back now and say that you actually are and have always been together would expose all we’ve set up and everyone would realize the lies we set in place. You coming out wouldn’t just ruin my career, but all of your careers and the band. Even the label would be ruined because of this. And you don’t want that, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis growled, a sound that came from deep in his throat. His hands were clenched into fists in anger, shaking slightly. “Frankly, we don’t give a </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> about your careers!” He snapped, his eyes narrowing. “And if you think me and Haz coming out is going to end ours, then think again. And if you were actually worried at all about us, you would have done a better job at actually taking care of us, rather than treating us like shit for years! We don’t care if we ruin everything, we’re still coming out and you lot can’t stop us!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their manager narrowed his eyes into slits. “We can do whatever we want. We own you,” he snarled. “You’re not coming out if we have anything to say about it, and we do. Nothing you can do can stop us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sucked in a breath, sitting up straighter. He cast a glance over at Louis, who was in a staring match with their manager. “Actually, everyone will know soon enough anyways,” he said, turning to look at James. “Because I’m pregnant.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ head snapped over to him in surprise, his scowl falling off of his face and replaced with a surprised expression. Both of them had decided to keep the whole thing quiet until after at least the first semester because it was high risk and because of the media. But desperate times call for desperate measures. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone in the room was looking at him with their own shocked and slightly horrified expression. James looked like he was going to pass out- he was so pale and looked like he had just seen a ghost. The noise died down completely so that you would have been able to hear a pin drop. Everyone had just fallen into a tense silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The one girl who Louis had previously yelled at, blinked her eyes several times as she tried to soak in his words. “You’re… </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>she asked dumbly, breaking the silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pregnant,” Harry said, jumping in confidently as his eyes swept across the room to look at them all. His eyes eventually fell on James, who was staring at the pair of them, completely speechless. He then looked at Louis and shot his boyfriend a small smile. “And before you ask, it is Louis’. And we are keeping it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ hand tightened around his supportively. “I think this meeting is over,” he said smoothly, standing up and then reaching down to help Harry up as well. “I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but we all know that would be a lie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James sputtered loudly. He looked like a fool, trying to grasp what they had just said while still trying to look like he was in charge, when they all knew whatever leverage he had just crumpled. “We’re not done here!” He exclaimed, slamming his hands down the desk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry barely flinched. “Actually, we are,” he responded cooly, before grabbing Louis by the hand and walking them both out of the room without a second look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we just did that,” Harry said, letting out a breathy laugh. “I can’t- we just walked out of there!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled softly at him. “Yes we did, Haz,” he said, reaching over to squeeze his boyfriend’s hand. “This year has been one crazy one, hmm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them had gone right from the meeting to a cafe together. It was Louis’ idea, claiming they both needed to get out of that atmosphere for a little while, just the two of them. So they had gone out on a date together to reassemble themselves. So that was how the pair of them found themselves sitting in a cute, small French cafe, both of them munching on delicious pastries. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Insane,” the twenty five year old agreed, a piece of croissant flying from his mouth. Louis chuckled as Harry blushed a little, reaching up to wipe the piece of food off of his boyfriend’s face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Louis responded, his voice sounding distant. He was staring at Harry deeply, a spacey expression written on his features. He was in thought. Harry cocked his head to the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lou?” Harry asked, reaching up to poke his boyfriend lightly, furrowing his brows. “Are you in there?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His voice caused Louis to snap back to the present, a dreamy look washing over him. “Yeah. Never been better,” he answered sweetly, continuing to stare at the curly haired man. “I’m just so happy with you, Harry. We can finally be free together, and we’re having a baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blushed a little, tucking his head down slightly as he smiled. “I’m happy with you too, Louis,” he responded softly. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned forward over the small table to press a soft kiss to Harry’s pink lips. “I love you more, sweetcheeks,” he cooed. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you think, and if any of you have fics you’ve been working on that you want me to check out id love to :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He faintly heard someone speaking into a microphone, calling his name in a quiet and muffled manner. Harry looked upwards, his eyes meeting Louis’ for a moment. He could see his boyfriend’s worry flashing behind his eyes, watching him. Harry opened his mouth to try and reassure Louis that he was alright, that he was fine. But he couldn’t even get the words out of his mouth.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks so much to everyone who’s been reading and supporting this story. It means a lot since I’ve been going through this really weird stage in my life where I want to come out but i know I won’t be accepted by my family. So truly, you all mean so much. </p><p>Enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>April 8, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a few minutes before the show, and Harry was sitting in his dressing room. There really wasn’t too much time to kill, as the fans were already screaming from the stage (they were very loud- he could hear them). However, he did have a while to kill before he was supposed to be meeting the rest of the boys backstage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So naturally, like most pregnant persons would, he was reading his weekly bump-date on his iPad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was curled around on the pastel pink couch in his dressing room, two fuzzy slippers on his feet and his green Obsession sweater keeping him nice and warm. He had a mug filled with water and his computer propped up on his lap, as he read it silently in the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the course of his pregnancy, he had found himself always tuning in for the update each week to learn the new things both he and his baby were going through. Though he had done it before, it was still fascinatingly surreal that he was growing an actual person inside of him. Which was why he wanted to stay on top of what was happening in there. Plus, it was kind of relaxing for him too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, he read the article. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>‘By week 15, you may still feel lingering symptoms from early pregnancy, like nausea or vomiting. But it’s likely that you’ll be getting your appetite back soon. It’s also possible you may experience hyperemesis Gravidarum. Hyperemesis Gravidarum is an extreme type of morning sickness where you may become extremely dehydrated and require hospitalization…’</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>***</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Louis,” Harry hissed, kicking his boyfriend from under the table. Louis winced slightly as the younger man’s boot made contact with his shin, but he played it off with a smile, ignoring Harry once again. Harry huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued trying to get the other man’s attention. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were all sitting together, everyone on tour. It was the boys, Gigi, Ollie, Lou Teasdale, Paul Higgins and anyone else who was on the road with them. They were all getting together for their weekly brunch where they would go out to an old fashion diner to eat out. It was like a family affair, full of jokes and stories and fun times. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, usually it was fun. But today Harry’s stomach had decided to act up in ways he did not want it to be. Clearly the baby was not happy with what he was eating. Or maybe the baby didn’t like the fact that Harry was eating at all, which didn’t make much sense. But then again, Harry wasn’t the one making himself want to throw up while in the middle of their gathering. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So Louis,” Paul said, looking over at the Doncaster man. The two had been in conversation for a while, which would have been fine if Harry hadn’t been purposefully trying to get his attention. Louis painted on a smile and turned to the bodyguard. “Any reason why you wanted security doubled for the remainder of the tour? I mean, I’m happy to do it for you boys, but any chance you’ll tell me why?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Louis shrugged in response. “I just feel like it’s necessary,” he responded, his face completely neutral other than his friendly smile. “That’s all.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You hired Harry a personal bodyguard aside from the normal security?” Paul inquired, arching an eyebrow. “That was necessary too, eh?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was clear that Paul was trying to pry and get a juicier bit of information, but Louis just kept on smiling in response, not missing a beat. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting my boyfriend to be extra safe, Paul. You know first hand how some of our fans get,” he answered before finally (FINALLY) looking at Harry. “Isn’t that right, Hazza?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But it was too late. Harry’s eyes widened when he felt a particular lurch in his stomach and he knew that keeping it down wasn’t an option anymore. He clasped a hand over his mouth as he proceeded to practically jump over Louis, Liam and Ollie in an effort to get out of the booth. Who’s idea was it to put the nauseous man in the middle anyway?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t make it very far, though. He only got about six feet away from their booth before the bile was expelling from his mouth and causing him to double over. He felt the stinging vomit being projected out of him, forcing its way through his throat like fire. He wrapped his arms around his stomach as he slowly started lowering to the ground, puking out whatever he had eaten. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Out of habit, Louis was by his side within seconds. “Shit, fuck,” he swore, reaching over to wrap his own arms around Harry as he helped his boyfriend stand up again, one arm snaking around his stomach while the other grabbed hold of his hair to keep it back. “Let it out, honey. Not the best place, but just let it out now. You should have told me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Harry grit his teeth together. “I hate you,” he growled, before another bout of puke cut him off. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>***</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had definitely not been his finest moment, and it had resulted in a very angry diner owner and plenty of questions from their friends. The diner owner had been easy to deal with, Harry had just been banned while Louis tipped them a fine too expensive for the food they got. However, their friends had been harder to deal with. The boys knew of course, but everyone else had been hard to convince it was just a stomach bug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that, Harry had temporarily opted out of weekly brunches for at least a little while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <b>If you were a normal weight before you became pregnant, aim to gain around 25-35 pounds pounds during your pregnancy. During your second trimester you may gain 1-2 pounds per week. Eat a variety of good foods and limit your focus on the scale to make sure you maintain a healthy weight…’</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked down at the bowl of popcorn that was resting on top of his small baby bump. He paused for a moment, before shrugging and diving another fistful into the bowl and shoving it into his mouth. So what if this was his third bowl since sitting in his dressing room? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Harry and Louis were sitting on the couch together as the night slowly got longer and longer. The sky was getting dark outside already, nearly pitch black. The only light was coming from their hotel TV screen, and the movie was the only sound in the entire room. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The kids were all fast asleep, having gone to their beds over three hours ago, and they were all snoring in their deep sleep. The couple were the only people in the room awake, but they were only just holding on themselves. Harry’s head was tucked into Louis’ neck as he breathed heavily, his eyes drifting closed every few minutes only for him to shake himself awake again. Louis on the other hand, was resting his arm across Harry’s waist while he hummed softly to himself. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Grease was still playing quietly in the background, only the dull sound of the musical coming from the screen. It was the final scene. Or maybe it was the middle. Neither one of them really knew what part of the movie they were at, since neither of them were really watching. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Harry jolted himself awake for probably the fifth time since starting the movie, jolting so much that he startled Louis awake at the same time. “Huh?” Louis hummed, his voice sounding equally as tired as Harry felt. He was probably sleeping as well. “Haz?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hm?” Harry mumbled, snuggling his face further into the crevasse of his boyfriend’s collarbones. “Yeah, I’m still awake. You’re just really comfy and warm right now, Lou. Like a pillow. You’re my pillow now, Lou.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was just drifting back off to sleep when Louis let out a small, tired laugh. “Yea, I think it’s time for bed now, love,” he said softly, nudging the other man. Harry groaned a little, snuggling in even closer in protest. “Come on, darling. You’re falling asleep here already.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t wanna get up,” Harry muttered with a pout. “I like it here. It’s comfy. Let’s sleep here tonight, boo.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“How about no, eh?” Louis answered. He then started moving, to which Harry groaned as his comfy-boyfriend-pillow moved out from under him and took away his comfort. “Come on, honey. You’re going to hurt your back sleeping on here.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t care. Let me sleep. I’m not moving.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Louis rolled his eyes. Not moving when he was too tired was something Harry always used to do, claiming that he would just stay wherever he was most comfortable at the time, either it be the couch or the floor, and would then wake up in an aching body and a terrible mood. And Louis was damned if he was going to let his pregnant boyfriend do that all over again tonight. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t think so. Now come here, you big baby,” he answered, bending down to slip one arm behind Harry’s knees and the other one under his back. He then scooped his boy up so that he was clinging onto him like a koala, with his legs wrapped around his waist. The only thing was, Harry was noticeably heavier than last time and Louis was not expecting it. “Oof,” he breathed quietly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But it was loud enough for Harry to hear. He peeked his head out of Louis’ shoulder to look up at his boyfriend. “What was that?” he snapped, unimpressed. “Louis Tomlinson, are you calling me heavy right now?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Not heavy,” Louis answered back, hiking the other man up a little to get a better grip around his thighs. “Just heavier.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Clearly, as Louis was about to learn, that was not the right thing to say to your boyfriend. Especially not your emotional, overly tired, pregnant boyfriend. Harry’s face tightened as he swatted at the other man. “Are you calling me fat, Tomlinson?” He scowled, his eyes narrowing into slits. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Louis’ eyes widened. “What? No, of course not!” He said in defense, blinking a few times in surprise. “I never said that, H-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re such an asshole, Louis,” Harry snapped, the damage already having been done. He squirmed around in the other man’s hold until he was released, before dropping onto the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not my fault I’m fat, you know! You just need to… to get over it!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He turned to walk (waddle) out of the room, but Louis grabbed him by the arm first. “Darling,” he said in disbelief. “You’re not fat, baby. Just because I said you were heavier than the last few times I’ve tried to carry you to bed doesn’t mean you’re fat yet…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“YET?” Harry exclaimed, his eyes narrowing even more. Louis took a step back, never having seen this side of his usually happy-boyfriend. Harry pointed a finger into his chest. “I’m not fat, Tomlinson, I’m pregnant. With your baby. So shut the hell up unless you want to be the one who gets knocked up next. Then you can see how it feels to be called ‘fat’ and ‘heavy’ when you’re growing a BABY!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>With that, Harry spun around on his heel and marched out of the bedroom, very upset. His arms were crossed firmly over his chest as he stomped (waddled) into the bedroom again, leaving a very confused Louis alone in the living room. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Louis finally snapped out of it. “Wait- you know that’s not- Haz! Harry!” He called, jogging to catch up with his boyfriend. “Did you say NEXT?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So maybe Harry already wasn’t in complete control of his emotions, but it wasn’t like that was his fault. It was Louis’ baby that was making him be like that, so Louis was going to have to be the one to deal with him and his crazy emotions. Besides, it was nothing compared to the pain he was going to go through for nine months. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“During pregnancy, you might feel lightheaded or dizzy. There are a couple of reasons why this can happen. Your blood pressure is lower. Plus, your growing uterus can press on and block the large vein carrying blood to your heart. It is very common to feel this way, though it is best to check with your doctor if you are becoming dizzy frequently as it can lead to more extreme cases such as fainting spells or vertigo…”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty five year old shrugged as he read that one. Even though he did understand most of the symptoms he had been reading on, and had even been experiencing them himself, he hadn’t had any dizziness as of yet. Neither did he when he was pregnant with the twins. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that he was complaining at all. He did not want to have to put up with all his usual pregnancy symptoms, and then have to add dizziness and fainting spells on top of that. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle it if that was the case. He was already struggling enough as it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Small blessings, apparently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A knock on his dressing room door brought him out of his reading trance. “We need you backstage in fifteen minutes, Styles!” Someone on their tour set shouted through the wood door, before moving along. Harry sighed as he looked at the clock on his wall. The concert was in half an hour. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh well,” he murmured to himself, pushing himself into a seated position and placing his iPad and empty popcorn bowl onto the couch. “I’ll be back later,” he promised his bump-date website, before signing off. It was time for him to get ready for another crazy concert. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, how’s everyone enjoying themselves out here!?” Liam shouted into his microphone, his hair windswept and his eyes wide and bright with excitement. The crowd screamed back at him in response, their combined voices almost deafening. Liam’s smile doubled at the sound. “Well that’s great to hear, we must be doing something right then!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy moly that was loud,” Niall commented into his own microphone, letting out one of his signature laughs. “You lot are insane. Look at how many of you there are out here! And look at how many signs you lot have got! It’s like a wave of them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh Niall, look at this one, this one’s a cute one!” Liam said, grabbing the Irish lad by the elbow and pointing into the crowd. “Look, see that little one over there. ‘I love you more than pizza!’ That one’s one of the cute ones that we’ve seen tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall whistled into his own microphone. “More than pizza, eh? That must be really saying something. I feel so special!” He said. Meanwhile the nine year old boy who was holding the sign was jumping up and down crying and screaming loudly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see one,” Zayn said, stepping closer to the edge of the stage. “Right here, with this girl over to the side. ‘Harry I’d let you Rock Me!’ Well how did you girls know what our next song was going to be. We were going to make it a surprise and here you are, waving it around on a neon sign!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm, I don’t like that one,” Louis said, piping in. The crowd started screaming as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouting. He walked over to Zayn, wrapping his arms around the other man’s shoulders as he shook his head at the girl. “You’re twelve, love! You’ve barely got out of nappies and you’re writing shit like that on a sign at a concert? When I was your age I was out making mud pies in the yard!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lou, I don’t think anyone wants to hear about your ‘back in my day’ rant,” Niall commented, rolling his eyes playfully which made the crowd laugh. “We all know what you and Harry were getting up to in the X-Factor days.” The crowd started screaming at that, which only made Louis smirk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I find all of these great,” Liam said brightly. “I particularly like this one. ‘Louis, I hope your day is as hot as your ass.’ Thanks for that one. How do you feel about some of these signs, Harry?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the mention of his name, Harry’s head snapped up from where he was closing his eyes somewhere across the stage. He looked up in surprise, looking like a deer caught in headlights as he scrambled to think of what he had just been asked. The other boys were looking over at him expectantly, and Niall was nodding to the crowd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-oh. Yeah, great. You’re all fantastic,” he stammered, plastering on a smile onto his face. The crowd cheered at that, causing his smile to falter into a small grimace as the sound pounded right into his skull. But the boys were just looking at him in concern instead. So he did what he always did, played it off. “Now who wants to hear another song?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In reality, Harry was struggling through this concert. He had felt fine stepping onto the stage, but it was like as soon as he actually did everything seemed to hit him at once. The noise, the lights, the energy, the sweat, the smell. It all just hit him like a truck and was giving him a massive headache. And he was exhausted, despite only being halfway through the concert. Something was definitely off, but he couldn’t put a finger on what it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He figured he’d just make it through the concert and then go get checked out, but it was proving to be harder and harder to do as the night went on. As it was, he was barely about to stay on his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t realized that someone was coming towards him until he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulders. “Hey, H,” Niall said into his ear, startling the other man. Niall was frowning at him in concern. “Are you alright? You seem a little out of it tonight…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Harry covered, plastering on a fake, reassuring smile. He looked over at his best friend, hoping that he was doing a good enough job at trying to be convincing. “I’m just a little more tired than I thought I was. But I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall still looked worried, but seemed to be buying it. “Okay then,” he said, nodding a little. “Just take it easy, yeah? Louis’ starting to get worried…” Harry looked over his shoulder to see his boyfriend eyeing him from a distance, biting his lower lip in concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell him I’m fine,” Harry said to the Irish man, while shooting Louis a small smile. Niall nodded and, thankfully, backed off. The last thing Harry wanted to do was worry his friends and ruin the concert. He just needed to pretend everything was fine for a little while longer and then he’d be all clear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was not fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They weren’t even halfway through the song when the world started to contort in ways it really shouldn’t be. Small, black blotches would float in and out of Harry’s vision while the world tipped and spinning around him. His head was throbbing painfully, and he couldn’t focus on anything else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was barely even singing, his only thought at the moment just to keep himself upright. However, even that seemed to be failing him despite his best efforts. Harry squeezed his eyes shut tight, his hand pressing into his forehead. This was bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It must have been Harry’s solo, because everyone stopped singing. But Harry couldn’t sing, even if he remembered the words. This was bad, usually he was the one who never forgot a lyric, and now here he was scrambling to even recognize what song they were singing. The only thing he felt was faintness tingling throughout his body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He faintly heard someone speaking into a microphone, calling his name in a quiet and muffled manner. Harry looked upwards, his eyes meeting Louis’ for a moment. He could see his boyfriend’s worry flashing behind his eyes, watching him. Harry opened his mouth to try and reassure Louis that he was alright, that he was fine. But he couldn’t even get the words out of his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then the world started to fade. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last thing he remembered was Louis’ panicked eyes and the words “CATCH HIM” before everything went into darkness.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks so much for reading! </p><p>If anyone wants to come chat with me privately you can message me on wattpad @_Pink_Sunsets_ :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Louis nodded with a smile. “We do. It took a while, but me, Li and Z managed to get them to give us at least a year off starting in a couple weeks. Then we’ll have some time after the baby is born before needing to go back to work,” he explained, leaning in close. “Then I’ll finally have some time to watch my baby grow.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Harry won a grammy!! I'm so unbelievably proud of him for winning Best Pop Preformance of the year. He really does deserve it for everything he's done. I was a little disappointed that he sang Watermelon Sugar, but the boa really did make up for it. </p><p>Anyways, here's another chapter! I hope everyone likes it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>April 22, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis was fuming as he marched down the hallway towards James’ office, his hand clasped tightly around Harry’s, who was stumbling and staggering behind him. Harry had one hand wrapped around his torso, while the other was holding onto Louis for dear life while his boyfriend dragged him down the hallway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mind was spinning a little bit, but it felt better than it had just a few minutes ago after he had been on stage. However, the world was still spinning in and out of focus a little bit every once in a while. He was just trying to stay upright and not pass out again, but it was hard to do when he was practically jogging. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thing was, One Direction had just finished another show and Harry definitely wasn’t doing too good. This was the fifth time in a row that he had gotten lightheaded while on the stage, and he had almost had another fainting spell. Thankfully he hadn’t, since the boys had noticed and had made him sit on the stairs for the rest of the show rather than jumping and dancing around which was what he usually does. He didn’t even feel bad about it either, focusing too much on not passing out AND singing to do much else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the end of the show he was so dizzy that Zayn and Niall had practically carried him off of the stage, both of them supporting Harry by one arm as they walked off. Harry just let himself be carried away, blinking as he tried to bring himself back. Liam had then shoved a juice box into his hands and made him drink it as Louis went livid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘He shouldn’t even be on tour anymore,’ was what the Doncaster man kept on saying over and over again, ‘Harry should be at home taking it easy like every pregnant person is supposed to. Not travelling the world on planes and busses.’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Harry supposed he was right. He really probably shouldn’t still be touring around the world, especially when the only doctors on tour were nurses and a single doctor, who wasn’t even his OBGYN. Especially since he was already at risk with his pregnancy, travelling around wasn’t preferable and neither was performing on stage where everything was high intensity, exciting and really everything he should be avoiding. Planes were also a big issue now, because if anything were to happen to him while he was on it, there wouldn’t be any help for a long time while they were stuck in a metal cylinder flying high above the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was just so much fun, and Harry didn’t want to be the one to end it. He could live with calling off the tour and be fine with it, but then he thought about the other people involved. Louis would be fine with it, of course, he was the one pushing for it. But Harry didn’t want to disappoint the boys or the fans, who had all been looking forward to this reunion tour for years. And even though Harry knew they would all be supportive, he still felt horrible whenever he thought about being the one to pull the plug on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that was now probably out of his reach by now anyways, since they were already on their way towards their team’s office, and he knew what the reason was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With Niall, Liam and Zayn trailing behind them as well, they turned a particularly sharp corner. Louis’ hand tugged Harry around it, causing the twenty five year old to nearly lose his footing once again. He was only saved by Niall grabbing onto him just in time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck Tomlinson, you’re going to make him fall over,” the Irish man snapped, pulling Louis’ hand out of Harry’s, and pulled the curly haired man close to him. Harry went with him easily, curling himself into his best friend’s chest and dropping his spinning head onto his shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis stopped, a guilty expression written across his face. “Sorry, Hazza,” he said, stepping over and brushing a curl out of his boyfriend’s sweaty face. Harry hummed in response. “I didn’t even realize I was going so fast. Are you okay, love?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Lou. Just a little dizzy,” Harry answered, shooting his boyfriend a small reassuring smile to show that he was alright. “You keep going. I just… need a little break. You go, thought, I’ll catch up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis still looked a little torn, between wanting to continue his livid march towards their manager’s office and throw a much needed fit, or stick behind with his boyfriend. He bit down on his bottom lip, his eyes glancing at Harry worriedly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall picked up on his hesitancy and stepped in. “You go, Tommo. ‘Ve got him,” he answered, shooting his friend a sturdy, single nod. “We’ll be fine. Go put those fuckers in their place, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, Louis let out a small breath and nodded. He leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to Harry’s pale cheek before taking off on his march again, Zayn and Liam  keeping up the momentum right beside him. The three of them walked with purpose down the hall, until they were out of sight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s legs felt like jelly. “Niall,” he said, his voice sounding weak from both being breathless as well as raspy from so much singing. “Can we sit down, please?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, of course. Just one second,” Niall responded, tucking Harry under his arm as he led him a couple feet. Thankfully, there were a couple seats in the hallway with two people already sitting in them. “Oi, up you lot get. He’s pregnant,” he said shooing the people out of the seat. Harry shot the people a thankful smile as they moved wordlessly out of the seats. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry groaned as he was lowered into the seat. “God,” he muttered, leaning his head back against the wall behind him, letting his eyes slip closed tiredly. He was exhausted after that show. It was already midnight, but usually he would still be awake with the after-show high. Pregnancy was weird like that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall reached over to rub his head affectionately. “This baby is kicking your ass, H,” he commented as his best friend leaned into his hand automatically. “You weren’t nearly this tired with the twins, and there were two of them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t remind me,” the man responded, keeping his eyes closed. In all honesty, he didn’t think he’d be able to open them if he tried. “This is miserable. This baby is smaller than an onion and it’s causing me this much trouble. I don’t want to think about what it’s going to be like when I’m huge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall hummed at that, smiling. “Louis’ gonna love that,” he commented softly, running his hands through his best friend’s hair. “You know I didn’t want you two to get together again at first?” Harry opened an eye at that, looking at him and urging him to go on. “I wanted you two to stop hating each other and make it work. Maybe become friends again. Have him in Ally and Robbie’s lives. But I didn’t want you two to get back together at all. And it was scary because I knew right from that first meeting that it was only a matter of time before you did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was all news to Harry. Niall had always been the biggest supporter of their relationship all through the One Direction years. The fans had even given him the nickname ‘Captain Horan’ because of how obvious he made their love. He was almost more in love with their relationship than they were, always claiming that they were soulmates and made for each other. He had thought Niall of all people would be ecstatic that they were together again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Harry asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “You never seemed like it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t want you to know because I knew that you still loved him, H. I knew that you never stopped loving him and I didn’t want to take that away from you,” the blond man said, looking at Harry softly. “You were too good for him. You still are too good for him, if I’m being honest. You’re perfect like that, H. And I knew that if you two got back together and something happened, you would be the one getting hurt once again. And I was terrified to see you go through that again… so I didn’t want you together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty five year old shifted a little bit, looking down at his hands that were resting comfortably on his tummy and frowned. “Things are different now,” he said, his voice softer and a little defensive. “Louis wouldn’t hurt me like that again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t like thinking about that. Louis leaving him had always been something he had been thinking about ever since they had gotten together. In the early stages, all he could think was ‘i</span>
  <em>
    <span>t’s just a matter of time.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>He had been expecting his boyfriend to just walk out on him (which looking back now, he realized was not a healthy way to start a relationship.) But things were different now. Louis actually cared deeply about him, and made a point of showing it everyday. Plus, they now had two kids and a baby on the way together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Niall was quick to jump in. “I know that now, Haz. Of course things are different. We’re all older and we’re grown up now. I don’t think Louis would ever consider doing something like that again,” he reassured his friend. “Just… at the time it was a realistic worry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s been good,” Harry said, feeling suddenly defensive of his boyfriend. “With the baby and everything. He cares about me and the baby, and he’s been taking care of us. Even with the mood swings and the morning sickness…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, love, I know he has. Lou’s been great and I can see that. I already told you, I’m not worried anymore,” Niall said, rubbing Harry’s head comfortingly. “I think he’s going to be great with whatever pops out of you in a couple months.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry wrinkled his nose. “‘Whatever?’” He repeated in distaste. “It’s going to be a baby, Niall. We already know that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Baby? Or babies?” Niall pressed, raising his eyebrows. “You know, I did read somewhere that pregnancy symptoms are always worse with multiples…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s face paled as he reached over to swat his friend. “Don’t even say that,” he scolded, his eyes wide. Babies… he hadn’t even considered what would happen if he and Louis were having more than one baby. He shuddered at the thought of having two more babies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall just shrugged. “Just saying,” he commented easily. “I think I also read that you’re more likely to have twins after you’ve already had them. Like three to four times more likely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fun fact, twins are known to run in families. For example if Louis’ mum had, I don’t know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>sets of twins then it would be pretty likely that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Niall. Shut. Up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Harry woke up that morning he was no longer in the Syco Management chair that he had fallen asleep in. Which was a big relief, since he didn’t think his body would have been very happy with him if he did. Instead of bringing in those small chairs with Niall, he woke up in a soft bed, cocooned in blankets with a squishy pillow under his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hummed to himself, smiling at the warmth of the bed. God, he loved sleeping. Sleeping was one of the very few activities that he could actually do now that he was pregnant, and it was the one that always felt the nicest since he was always tired out. Besides, waking up in a warm bed was always the best feeling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s first thought was that Niall had carried him to bed since they had been the ones who were together last night while everyone else was fighting their Management team. But that thought was trumped immediately when he felt two lips start kissing the shell of his ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey baby,” Louis' voice said softly, still rough and raspy from sleep, speaking between kisses. “I know you’re awake, lovely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shifted his face upwards from where it was burrowed in the blankets to look up at his boyfriend, smiling softly. “Goodmorning, Lou,” he said, moving up towards Louis and pecking him on the lips. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled so that his eyes crinkled in the corners as he leaned down to kiss Harry as well. “I love you too, Sweetcheeks,” he responded sweetly, wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist. “Aren’t you in a good mood today. Do you not feel sick at all this morning?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty five year old shook his head. “Not today,” he answered. “Maybe it’s gone now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis smiled at his boyfriend, pecking him on his forehead. “That would be fantastic. I have to admit that the sound of you puking isn’t the best sound to wake up to in the morning,” he said lightly, causing Harry to pout in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re so mean, Lou. I thought it was a rule that you’re supposed to be extra nice to your boyfriend when he’s pregnant,” he mumbled tiredly, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up. He stretched a little, letting out a small groan as his back cracked a little. “Ouch. I hate sleeping in a chair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Luckily you have a god-send for a boyfriend,” Louis answered, resting a hand onto the small bump, drawing a few circles over it. “Pretty sure Niall would have just left you there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed to himself. “Thanks,” he said, leaning his head back against his pillow. “I guess we’re even now. I carry your baby around and you have to carry me around.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis let out a small laugh. “I still feel like you got the short end of that deal there, babe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Probably. Though it was pretty much a full time job to look after Harry, making sure he was happy and healthy, being pregnant really was the hardest part of it all. Having to constantly be sick, dizzy, vomiting, emotional, sore and always on the verge of peeing his pants, all while on tour and having to already be taking extra precautions… it was exhausting. And Harry knew that better than any of the other boys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed, lifting himself to lean on his forearms on the bed. “In that case maybe you should carry our next one,” he responded with a small smirk. They both knew that would never happen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would never happen. I like seeing you like this and would hate it if the roles were switched,” Louis spoke the words right out of his mouth, his hands rubbing up and down on Harry’s bump lovingly. He looked up at his boyfriend. “And you keep saying ‘our next one…’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked at him. He hadn’t even heard those words leave his mouth, it had just slipped out naturally. “Oh,” he said quietly, his eyes lowering to Louis’ hand. “Did I say that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. You’ve actually said it a few times,” the Doncaster singer pointed out, nodding his head slowly.  He tilted his head downwards to catch his boyfriend’s eyes. “Harry… do you want more kids?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The question made Harry bite his lip a little, his insides fluttering around. He looked up, his face nervous as he watched Louis carefully. “Would you hate me if I said yes?” He asked quietly, his eyes wide and doe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis softened, his hands cupping his lover’s face. “Of course not, darling. I could never hate you, especially when you’re agreeing to want the exact same thing as me,” he responds with a wide smile. “I have always wanted to have a big family, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry swallowed, a small smile starting to tug at his pink lips. “You do?” He asked, almost hesitantly. “You want to have more kids with me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want everything with you,” responded Louis, leaning down to rest his forehead against Harry’s, causing the younger’s breath to hitch. “And I would love more babies. You have no idea how much I’ve thought about making a big family with you. I love you and our kids so much, Harry, it’s insane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want that too,” the twenty five year old said softly, his eyes sparkling a little just at the thought. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis kissed him again, lingering on his lips for a couple seconds longer. “I love you more, Princess,” he mumbled into his lips. “Now let’s just focus on having this baby first and then we can talk about having more, how about that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded. “Yeah,” he answered. He looked over at Louis, to look at his face. He looked happy, of course, but he also looked tired. His eyes had bags under them and his face looked weary. He looked exhausted. Harry frowned a little, moving his hands up to cup his face. “Hey,” he said quietly. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, darling. It was just a long meeting. James and his bitches really didn’t want to make life easy for us last night, but they never do,” he answered, taking Harry’s hand from his face and pressing a kiss into his palm. “But I’m okay. Even better now that we get to postpone the tour.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry brightened at that. “We do?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis nodded with a smile. “We do. It took a while, but me, Li and Z managed to get them to give us at least a year off starting in a couple weeks. Then we’ll have some time after the baby is born before needing to go back to work,” he explained, leaning in close. “Then I’ll finally have some time to watch my baby grow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled, leaning forward to capture his lover’s lips. Louis kissed back right away, causing him to smile into the kiss. “Thank you, Louis,” he murmured softly, his hands wrapping around the back of his boyfriend’s neck as he deepened the kiss. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, thank you, Harry,” Louis responded, his hands slipping under Harry’s shirt so that he could hold his waist, rubbing his thumbs against the stretched skin of his tummy. “For giving me this chance.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I just finished reading They Both Die In The End in two days and I am a mess. I loved it so much but it really was soul crushing. And the thing I like to do when my soul has been crushed if write fanfiction. Would anyone be interested in reading that?? And if not, you should all go read the book because it really is probably my favourite ever.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it took so long to update! I’m not going to shoot you with an excuse about being super stressed and busy. It’s true but that’s not your issue. I haven’t prioritized this story recently and I’m so sorry. I’m not abandoning this story- the end is coming! So please just hang in there while I write it!</p><p>Hopefully this chapter makes up for the super long wait :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>June 3, 2021</strong>
</p><p><br/>
Driving through Doncaster in a car full of kids is not something Harry had ever wanted to do while pregnant. He had of course imagined what family trips with Louis would have been like, but he didn’t imagine it would be like this. This was… this was not like his dreams. </p><p> </p><p>Louis was driving, his hands clenched into fists around the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. His lips were also pressed firmly together, a sign that he was really trying to keep his cool. He was doing really good so far with not losing it, which was more than Harry could say about himself. </p><p> </p><p>In the back was Allie and Freddie. Whoever decided to sit the two of them together was a horrible, terrible person who deserved to step on a lego barefoot. The entire ride they had been on each other’s nerves, fighting and arguing and just downright being little monsters. </p><p> </p><p>The worst it had been was when Freddie had thought it would be a great idea to reach over and yank on Allie’s hair hard, causing the girl to literally scream at the top of her lungs. The scream had made Louis jump and swerve the car a little on instinct, making everyone start yelling. Robbie then started yelling that they were all going to die, while Allie reached over and tried to smack Freddie. Freddie had looked downright terrified and had tried to grab onto something, which just so happened to be Allie’s foot. Louis then started yelling at them all for almost causing an accident and killing them all, which in turn made Harry start crying. </p><p> </p><p>It was… it was not a fun experience for anyone. </p><p> </p><p>The only peace came when Allie finally fell asleep and Freddie started singing softly. It was one of Louis’ songs called Just Hold On. It was probably inspired by the near death experience just a few moments ago, but it was sweet nonetheless. Harry had joined him in singing and it was a cute moment. </p><p> </p><p>Then Allie woke up and Robbie got hungry and Harry felt sick. Then the moment was promptly killed and they were back for another while of torture in the car. </p><p> </p><p>Thankfully they were almost there. They were going to Doncaster to see Louis’ family, while Harry’s family was going to meet them there. They were then all going to have a little party all together as a welcome back. None of the boys had gotten to see their families much since being on the tour, so it was really an exciting event. </p><p> </p><p>Plus it was going to be even more special because Harry and Louis were finally going to break the news that they were having another baby to their family. It was all going to be very fun and exciting and Harry couldn’t wait. </p><p> </p><p>He also couldn’t wait to get out of that car. </p><p> </p><p>“Lou,” he whined, reaching over to poke Louis in his free hand that was resting on the middle arm rest. “Louis. I have to pee again.”</p><p> </p><p>Louis looked over at him, pressing his lips together. “Haz you went pee, like, ten minutes ago at that gas station,” he pointed out, his eyes flicking from his boyfriend to the road again.</p><p> </p><p>Harry frowned. “I know I did, but I have to pee again,” he said, jutting his bottom lip out. “It’s not my fault. Your stupid little fetus keeps kicking me in the bladder like it’s a football or something.” He winces again as the baby rolls around again to rest directly on his bladder, as if proving a point. </p><p> </p><p>This time, Louis was the one to frown. He moved his free hand over to rest of Harry’s barely visible bump, patting it softly. “Don’t listen to you daddy, you’re not stupid. He’s just being grumpy,” Louis says softly. He then looks up at Harry, unimpressed. “You’ve resulted to bullying your unborn baby?”</p><p> </p><p>Harry just rolled his eyes in response. “You try carrying and then you can tell me how I should treat my baby,” he responds snappily. “Then you get to deal with the morning sickness and mood swings and swollen feet and constant peeing and nausea and not sleeping. Then we can see how nice you want to be to the sack of potatoes that sits on your bladder twenty four hours a day, Lewis.”</p><p> </p><p>In the back, Robbie pokes Allie in the shoulder. “Daddy’s really grumpy,” he whispers, sounding worried. “Do you think he’s going to break up with papa again?”</p><p> </p><p>Harry sighed, reaching up to rub his temples. “Robbie, we can hear you,” he said tiredy. The small boy in the back looked up in surprise, his eyes widening as he snapped his mouth shut guiltily. “And no, Papa and I aren’t going to break up. We’re arguing like normal people because I am very tired and he is not being very helpful.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, come on, Haz. You know I’d help if I could,” Louis said, meekly. “Don’t take your mood swings out on the kids, yeah? Just sit and play nice until we get home, then I’ll give you a foot massage for as long as you want, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Harry melted at that. “Yeah, yeah, okay. I will,” he said, nodding his head up and down eagerly. Foot massages had been something Harry held to a very sacred level these days. He would have been absolutely insane to have said no to one of those. </p><p> </p><p>He was twenty three weeks along already and was getting bigger and bigger by the day. He now had an obvious bump that anyone could see if he wasn’t wearing really big clothes. Everyone on tour knew already because they could tell, and the kids were starting to pick up in it too. The other day Allie had asked Harry why he was getting so fat, and that was a very close meltdown. It would have all gone to hell if Louis hadn’t been there as emotional support and damage control. </p><p> </p><p>He was a walking hormone. Any time anyone did something that was remotely upsetting to him, Harry would either rage or cry. </p><p> </p><p>Niall learnt that the hard way when he made some half assed comment about how Harry was more and more moody as he got bigger, and had earned a slap to the face. It had been a shock to everyone who saw, and Niall seemed the most shocked at all. Five minutes later, Harry felt so bad that he hugged Niall and started sobbing about how he was such a bad friend and how he didn’t deserve Niall. He didn’t stop apologizing the entire day and would not let go of his best friend. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re twenty minutes away from my house now. Do you think you can wait that long to pee, Darling?” Louis asked gently, his hand moving to hold onto Harry's hand, rubbing circles on his skin with his thumb. </p><p> </p><p>Harry nodded. “Yes, Lou,” he said. “Just please drive fast.”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Louis didn’t drive fast, saying he would much rather Harry pee his pants and ruin the car rather than get in an accident with his boyfriend, three kids and unborn baby. So by the time they finally made it to the Tomlinson household, Harry felt like he was going to burst. </p><p> </p><p>“I got the kids, you go,” Louis said to him. Harry smiled gratefully, blowing him a kiss, before waddling as fast as he could towards the door. Harry didn’t even stop to knock, he just threw open the door and ran safely and quickly though the house. Despite feeling like he could pee his pants any second, he also knew he was incredibly clumsy and wasn’t going to risk his baby. </p><p> </p><p>He nearly ran into Gemma on the way. “Harry?” Gemma blurted, her eyes widening as her brother jogged past her. “What are you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry Gems, gotta pee!” Harry shouted back, not stopping to look back as he ran straight through the house. Thankfully no one was in the washroom as he threw the door open and ran inside. He yanked down his loose sweatpants within the second, before letting out a sigh of relief. </p><p> </p><p>When he was finished, Harry flushed and washed (because Anne did not raise a gross boy) and then headed out of the room. As he expected, there was the sound of many, many loud and excited voices coming from the living room. He could clearly hear Allie’s among them, which meant that his kids had already made themselves the centre of attention already. </p><p> </p><p>He followed the noise until he got to the living room. As expected, everyone was flocking around the three little kids, showering them in attention. Robbie looked a little unnerved by all the new people, his hand holding his sister’s tightly, while Allie just basked in the attention coming from all the Tomlinsons. Freddie was just chilling, obviously used to it by now. </p><p> </p><p>Someone touched Harry’s arm and he spun around, only to see Johannah standing there. “Harry!” She gasped, a smile breaking over her kind face as she reached over and pulled me into a tight hug. “Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s you! When Louis told me that you two were trying again I cried. I’m so happy you’re back, Harry! We’ve missed you so much, love.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry wrapped his arms tightly around the woman, burying his face into her shoulder. “I’ve missed you too,” he said emotionally. Damn hormones. “God, I missed you guys so much, you have no idea.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve gotten so much older, Harry. And you’ve done so much,” Johannah said into the twenty five year old’s ear. “I’m so proud of you.” And, well, Harry couldn’t help but let out a few tears at that. </p><p> </p><p>“Thank you,” he said, his voice choked up. “Thanks so much, Jay.”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them started to pull away then, and Johannah’s arm dropped from around Harry’s shoulders, brushing right over his abdomen. Harry froze. Johannah froze. Their eyes met and something behind Johannah’s eyes clicked. “Oh my god,” she whispered, her voice dropping as she looked down towards Harry’s sweatered bump. “Harry… is that…”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t tell anyone,” Harry said hastily, adjusting his sweater so that it covered the bump again, concealing it. He looked up, his eyes wide and pleading. “Please don’t tell anyone yet. Lou and I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone later.”</p><p> </p><p>Johannah’s face softened and she reached up to cup his cheeks. “Of course I won’t, dear,” she said, her eyes crinkling in a way that Louis’ did whenever he smiled. “But you better tell them soon. I’m not sure that a hoodie is good enough to hide it anymore…”</p><p> </p><p>Louis stepped over to them then, smiling brightly. “Hey mum,” he said, leaning down to pull his mother into a hug. However when he pulled away, he noticed her facial expression and paled. “You know?” He whispered, looking over at Harry. “She knows?”</p><p> </p><p>“A mother always knows, lovey,” Johannah said, patting Louis on the cheek. “And I’m happy for you. And I already promised Harry that I wouldn’t tell anyone, but you two better get a move on with this announcement because I know for a fact that everyone is going to be able to tell soon enough.”</p><p> </p><p>“We will,” Harry said, grabbing Louis’ hand and smiling. </p><p> </p><p>Jay watched the exchange with soft eyes. “I’m so happy you two figured it out,” she said kindly. “Now I’m going to go see my little grandbabies that neither of you have brought to see me. Honestly Louis, it’s been months!”</p><p> </p><p>With that, she moved past the two of them and made her way over to the twins, leaning down and saying something to them. Allie nodded her head up and down to whatever Jay was saying, her face breaking into a giant grin as she lunged forward to hug her. Even Robbie smiled a little nervously. </p><p> </p><p>“She’s like magic or something,” Harry commented, watching as the twins got immediately comfortable with Jay. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but it obviously must have been a hit with them. </p><p> </p><p>Louis smiled at the interaction. “She is. You are too,” he said, turning to Harry and squeezing his hand. His eyes dropped down to the bump on his stomach and he smirked. “You know, it is really easy to tell you have a bun in the oven?”</p><p> </p><p>“So I’ve been told,” Harry commented with an affectionate eye roll. “Allie keeps calling me fat and asking how much I’ve been eating. Little brat.”</p><p> </p><p>Louis let out a ringing laugh at that. “I’m with you on that one,” he comments. He then looked over at Harry and smiled encouragingly. “Are you ready for this? To tell them? Because I am and I want to do it so badly.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry smiled. He knew how close Louis was with his family and it was probably eating him up to keep it a secret from them when they were right there. “I’m ready too,” he said happily, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand. “Let’s do this.”</p><p> </p><p>Louis nods and grabs Harry by the hand, leading him over towards the middle of the room. “Hey everyone!” He shouts over the noise to get everyone’s attention. All thirteen of them look up and stop talking. “Harry and I want to talk!”</p><p> </p><p>“HARRY!” Phoebe shrieks, and makes a move to run over to Harry. Everyone else gets the same idea as they all jump up as well. Louis stops them all before they get the chance to attack Harry with hugs and smother him with their kisses. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, you all want to see Harry,” He said, rolling his eyes. Harry giggled, waving at them. “But just wait a second. I’m sure after what we tell you will only make you want to hug him anymore, and I have to warn you that if anyone starts squeezing him I’m going to have to punch you in the face!”</p><p> </p><p>Harry giggled. “You’re so dramatic, Lou,” he said softly, but he loved possessive Louis. </p><p> </p><p>Daisy let out a long sigh. “Get on with it then,” she said impatiently, bouncing up and down on her heels. “We just want to see Harry! We haven’t seen him in ages!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! We missed him too!” Lottie piped up. Louis held his hands up to stop his sister’s from starting a riot. </p><p> </p><p>“You can see him in a second. We have an important announcement to make,” Louis said. The room finally got quiet at that. Everyone was watching them carefully for the secret announcement. Johannah was sitting on the couch with Robbie on her lap, smiling widely with excitement. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, the announcement is,” Harry said, looking over at Louis and smiling. Louis smiled back at him, nodding for him to continue. Harry looked back at the ground of them, his face breaking into a shy grin. “Louis and I are pregnant!”</p><p> </p><p>The room goes quiet. Absolutely silent. You could have heard a pin drop in the room, it was that quiet. Harry was starting to get nervous. Maybe telling them was a bad idea. Maybe they were going to think that he and Louis were going too fast. Maybe they were going to hate him…</p><p> </p><p>“OH MY GOD!” Lottie screamed, jumping up from the floor where she was playing with Freddie. She barreled all the way over, shoving Louis out of the way and grabbing Harry into a hug, wrapping her arms tight around his torso. “I can’t believe it! Oh my god!” Harry let out a small breath as he was enveloped in a tight hug, Lottie practically smushing his face into her shoulder. “I’m going to be an aunt again!”</p><p> </p><p>Before Harry knew it, he was swarmed by a flock of women. Lottie, Fizzy, Daisy, Phoebe, Gemma, Anne and Jay all ran towards him, and before he knew what was happening, there were several arms reaching out to pull him into various different hugs while everyone else was going crazy. Even Freddie, Allie, Robbie, Doris and Ernst looked shocked, albeit they were mostly just confused. Robin looked shocked while Mark was smiling. </p><p> </p><p>Mark stood up as well, going over towards Louis and patting him on the back so that he faltered a little bit. “You two sure do move fast, eh?” He whistled, nudging his son in the side playfully. Louis just smiled shortly. </p><p> </p><p>Anne reached over to cup Harry’s face in her hands. Her eyes were watery and she was smiling happily. “I told you to use protection. You boys never listen to your mothers anymore!” She tutted, but it was obvious she was just joking. She pressed a wet kiss to Harry’s cheek. </p><p> </p><p>“How far along are you?” Fizzy asked. </p><p> </p><p>“Twenty three weeks,” Harry answered with a smile. Gemma gasped and reached over to lightly hit Harry on the shoulder. “Ow!”</p><p> </p><p>“Twenty three weeks and you’re only telling us now!?” She gasped, offended. Harry bit his lip and shrugged, still smiling. Gemma hit him again. “Harry! That’s like almost six months that you didn’t tell your family!”</p><p> </p><p>“Stop hitting me- I’m pregnant!” Harry giggled. “And we didn’t tell you because we didn’t know for, like, two months. Then we were too busy and we wanted to tell you in person.”</p><p> </p><p>Phoebe reached over to pinch Louis’ cheeks, who was ever hovering beside them. “My brother is having another baby!” She exclaimed. “Ickle Lou-Bear is gonna be a dad again!”</p><p> </p><p>Louis was smiling widely, never faltering. He looked so happy. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t call me that, I’m bigger than you, Pheebs,” he said, gently pushing his sister off of him. </p><p> </p><p>“Not for long, shorty,” Daisy commented, pushing through the crowd of moms until she got to Harry. She grabbed the hem of his shirt, giving it a tug. “Come on, Haz. We wanna see the lil baby bump! You owe us for keeping this a secret for so long.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry let out a small laugh. He reached down to grab the bottom of his shirt, before tugging it over the bump on his tummy. It still wasn’t a full-on bump (he still had a few weeks before then) but it was an obvious rounded bump that popped out obviously. Louis liked to joke that it was now big enough to rest snacks on when they watched movies. Immediately, all the women went soft instantly at the sight of it. It seemed to be the tipping point for Anne and Jay, who both started crying. </p><p> </p><p>Lottie dropped to her knees instantly. “Oh my god, it’s so cute!” She squealed, either one of her hands coming to rest on both sides of the small bump. “Hello little baby. I’m your auntie Lottie and I’m going to be your favourite,” she said softly to the bump.</p><p> </p><p>Fizzy scoffed, dropping to her knees as well. She nudged her sister out of the way. “As if,” she said to Lottie, rolling her eyes before taking her place in front of Harry’s belly. “I’m going to be your favourite Tomlinson. I’m going to spoil you so much and we will have so much fun together.” She then placed a small kiss to the bump, which made Harry giggle. </p><p> </p><p>“Oi, enough fighting you lot,” Louis snapped at his sisters, stepping over and wrapping an arm protectively around Harry’s waist, tugging him into his chest. Harry leaned back easily. “It’s my baby and I’m going to be the favourite. Now give Harry some space, you baby phycos.”</p><p> </p><p>Lottie rolled her head. “Your dad is a dickhead,” she whispered to the bump, causing Jay to hit her over the head for language. </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, a small head was popping up in the crowd of women. Robbie blinked up at them, a confused expression creasing his innocent little face. “Daddy’s… pregnant?” He asked, a small, confused frown on his pouty lips. </p><p> </p><p>Harry and Louis exchanged glances. They had been waiting to tell the kids when they were all together. The women around them seemed to take a hint and take a few steps back, giving the couple some space. “Come here, baby,” Harry said, motioning for the kids to come closer. Robbie, Allie and Freddie did, all of them looking a little nervous and confused. Harry and Louis crouched down on the ground to their level. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on?” Allie asked, tilting her head to the side, chewing on her lower lip. “Why’s everyone yelling so much?”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“They’re just excited, sweetheart,” Louis said gently, pulling the small girl towards him and wrapping his arm around her. “They’re yelling because they’re excited. And surprised.”</p><p> </p><p>Allie cocked her head. “Why?”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Because your papa and I are having another baby,” Harry said softly to the kids, smiling watery. He then tugged his shirt up to show them the bump. “See. There’s a little baby that’s growing in there. That’s why everyone is so happy.”</p><p> </p><p>Robbie’s eyes were wide as he reached over to put his little hands on the bump. He looked shocked, but also amazed when his hands rested hesitantly on the hard skin. Harry had to bite down on his lip to stop from crying. “There’s a baby in there?” He asked, his voice soft. </p><p> </p><p>Harry nodded, blinking quickly. “Yeah there is, baby,” he said, emotionally. “You’re going to be a big brother.”</p><p> </p><p>Robbie’s eyes went even wider. “I am?” He asked in shock. “I’m going to be a big brother like Freddie?”</p><p> </p><p>Louis smiled so that his eyes crinkled. “Yes you are, honey. You’re going to be a big brother. And Freddie, you’re going to have another little sibling. And Allie, you’re going to be a big sister. You’re all going to have another little brother or sister.”</p><p> </p><p>Allie stepped away from Louis and over to Harry. She knelt down and looked at the bump carefully, before looking up at Harry. “There’s a baby in you?” She asked, seeming to be making sure they were telling the truth. Harry nodded wordlessly. She smiled. “Hello there, baby,” she said softly, patting the bump with her tiny hands. Harry felt a tear fall down his cheeks, which he quickly brushed away. </p><p> </p><p>Freddie was standing a few feet away, looking between Harry and Louis. His expression was unreadable. “You’re having another baby?” He asked his dad, looking at Louis. </p><p> </p><p>Louis’ smile faltered a little bit, as he reached over to tug his son towards him, pulling him into a hug. “We are. You’re going to be having another little brother or sister pretty soon,” he explained gently, rubbing Freddie’s back. Freddie nodded wordlessly, staring at the bump that Allie was patting. He had yet to smile at all. </p><p> </p><p>Harry bit the inside of his cheek. “Do you want to feel?” He asked softly to the small boy, looking at Freddie with kind eyes. The boy bit his lip, looking nervous. Harry held out his hand. “Come here. It’s okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Freddie caved and reached forward, his small hand grabbing onto Harry’s. He let himself be led away from Louis and over towards Harry, his feet shuffling hesitantly. Harry took his tiny hands and then placed them on his stomach, covering Freddie’s hands with his own on the bump. “Feel it?” Harry asked softly. Freddie nodded, his eyes widening. </p><p> </p><p>Harry didn’t even know that he was crying until Louis reached over to thumb the tears off of his cheeks gently, kissing his face. “I love you,” he murmured into Harry’s ears softly. Harry just nodded, feeling too choked up to say it back at the moment. </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Harry felt something in his stomach. He and Freddie gasped in unison, their eyes both going comically wide. “It kicked me!” Freddie exclaimed, a huge smile tugging at his lips. He placed his other hand onto the bump as well. He looked up at both Louis and Harry, smiling brightly. “I felt it!”</p><p> </p><p>Louis’ jaw fell open. “The baby kicked you?” He asked in disbelief. “Let me feel!” Both Tomlinsons put their hands on Harry, causing him to giggle. </p><p><br/>
“Lou, let Freddie feel. You’ve felt the baby move before,” Harry teased lightly, though his voice was still clogged with emotion. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never been kicked before though!” Louis exclaimed, moving his hands around on the belly. Harry rolled his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“I wanna feel too!” Allie exclaimed, pushing her way though to feel the cool surface of his stomach. Robbie did the same thing. Pretty soon all four of them were crowded around, feeling for a kick. </p><p> </p><p>Only a few moments later, the baby inside of him got the message and delivered a hard kick to the either side, right where Allie was feeling. Allie squealed. “I felt it!” She exclaimed happily. “I felt the baby!”</p><p> </p><p>Only a moment later there was another one directly under Louis and Robbie’s hands. “Me too!” Robbie shouted as well, his smile big. </p><p> </p><p>Louis gasped. “Me too,” he breathed, his shoulder sagging. He looked up at Harry, his eyes wide. “Hazza, I felt our baby.” Harry just nodded, his eyes starting to spill over again. </p><p> </p><p>“At this rate, this baby is going to be a football player in no time,” Robin commented from across the room. Louis perked up at that. </p><p> </p><p>Harry leaned over towards his boyfriend, placing his hand onto Louis’ thighs as he moved over to his face. “I love you,” he said softly, brushing their lips together. </p><p> </p><p>“I love you more,” Louis said immediately, his hands dropping to Harry’s waist. “Thank you so much for giving me this family, Harry.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Editing, who’s she? We can probably all agree what I’m bad at endings at this point.</p><p>Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>anyways, I’m back in lockdown. </p><p>here’s a chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>June 24, 2021</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was amazing being in Doncaster. Harry hadn’t realized how much he had been missing the Tomlinsons until he got to see them again. It had been ages since he had seen them all and it was quite emotional to be back again. When Phoebe came up to give him a hug, he almost started tearing up. Last time he had been here the twins had been only eleven and he was still able to pick them up. Now they were sixteen year olds and were so much more mature. All of them had gotten so much bigger since last time he had seen them and it was sad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ernst and Doris were now seven years old, whereas they were just toddlers last time Harry had been here. They were still younger than Freddie, but it was like they had gotten so old since last time. Harry almost didn’t recognize them at first. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But other than them, everyone else was relatively the same. Lottie and Gemma were still attached at the hip, both of them whispering and plotting together usually about him and Louis, or sharing dirty gossip. Fizzy was still the silent listener of the family. More than three times already she had appeared behind Harry when he wasn’t expecting her and nearly got a heart attack. Jay was still the warm motherly figure to Harry, and he loved her. The Tomlinsons were still the same. It was like he never left their house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was also really nice to have a bunch of people around to watch the kids. Harry knew his twins were a handful- he had raised them for their entire lives. But it was like the amount of work had just become numb to him. Caring for their every need and desire was second nature. So to have at least a dozen people constantly flocking around to watch and care for them was the biggest relief ever. Not working AND having constant babysitting was a dream come true. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had basically collapsed one day after Daisy insisted on taking care of the kids for the day. He sat down on the couch and sagged with relief, much to his mother’s disapprovement. “You shouldn’t work so hard,” Anne would say with pursed lips whenever she saw her son near collapsation. “You’re going to exhaust yourself. It’s too much for one person, H.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would just wave her off. Yes, it was too much to be a mega superstar, full time dad and pregnant. But he was used to it by now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jay had been a god send as well ever since he got there. He nearly forgot that she was a midwife until one day when she had caught him puking in the toilet bowl. She had brought him a cup of camomile tea and a hot compress for his back, and he instantly felt better. Jay would make him special meals as well that were supposed to be good for the pregnancy. “If only you told me I would have been able to help sooner,” she muttered to Louis one day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like he was under constant attention from everyone all the time. The girls especially were all flocking towards him, all of them cooing at him like he was a baby himself. They were especially obsessed with the baby bump. Fizzy even went so far as to buy him a bunch of crop tops because apparently it was selfish for him to keep all the cuteness to himself without letting them look. Plus, now that the baby was moving everyone wanted to feel all the time. It was kind of a lot, but it was also nice. Other than the boys, no one around him had really made a big deal out of his pregnancy and he kind of liked it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though it was kind of tiring. He couldn’t really ever get some time to himself without some sort of crowd following him around. He and Louis were never alone in a room because someone was always with them, whether it be one of his sisters, one of their moms or the kids. They just couldn’t catch a break ever and it was really exhausting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tipping point for Harry came on the fifth day that they were in Doncaster. He woke up in the bed alone, Louis nowhere to be seen. That alone was not a great way to wake up. Harry hated sleeping alone, since he’s been doing that for the worst five years of his lift. One of his favourite parts of the day was waking up next to his boyfriend. But that morning Louis wasn’t there, which meant that his day was already off to a bad start. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry huffed to himself, rolling onto his back in the bed and pouting. He felt miserable. He was hungry, but the thought of food made him nauseous. His stomach was also cramping a lot and it was very painful. He shoved the blanket down and then rucked up his shirt to reveal the stretch of his stomach over the bump. “You’re a bad baby today,” he muttered, tapping his stomach with his finger. In response, his baby kicked him right in the ribcage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing that went wrong was when he went downstairs and the kids were going wild. Like, completely uncontrollably wild. Allie, Robbie, Freddie, Drew, Doris and Ernst were all little, crazed animals who were practically bouncing off of the walls. As soon as he walked downstairs, he wanted to cry. Especially when Doris nearly knocked him off his feet when she rammed into the back of his legs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie went screaming past him, and he bent down to grab her wrist. “Hey,” Harry said forcefully, keeping the little girl still. Allie blinked at him. “No more yelling and running around. You need to be respectful.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, Allie just ripped her arm out of Harry’s hand. “Nan said it was fine,” she shot back, before taking off again, leaving Harry speechless. His kids had never talked back to him like that before. Also, since when have his kids been calling Jay ‘Nan’ and no one told him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry almost smacked the person behind him when two hands touched his waist. “Hey love,” he said, his lips pressing a couple of kisses onto Harry’s exposed neck. “How was your sleep, baby?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pulled away, a crease in between his eyebrows. “Really, really bad,” he shot back, stepping out of Louis’ hold. “Why weren’t you there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was with the kids. They got up and I didn’t want them waking you too,” Louis responds, frowning a little bit. “Hey, are you okay?” He took a step closer to Harry, reaching his hand out to him once again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blew a long exhale past his lips. “No, I’m not okay,” he huffed, throwing his hands in the air. “I can’t sleep because this baby won’t stop kicking me all day and all night. And when I finally come down here, there are half a dozen little kids going insane! Even Allie was talking back to me and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>talks back to me! And I can never get a moment alone because everyone wants to either talk to me or the baby and I can’t get a break!” By the time he was finished, Harry was nearly crying. He sniffled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ eyes were wide as he reached up to thumb away the moisture that was gathering in the corners of Harry’s eyes. “Hey there, love,” he says softly, a soft expression on his face. “We don’t have to stay here the whole time, you know. I could rent us a hotel somewhere close by for a couple nights if you need a break. Or we can go home at any time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to go home,” the curly haired man mumbled, leaning his face into Louis’ hands. “The kids are happy here and you’re happy here. And it’s nice to see everyone after so long. I just… it’s a lot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis leaned forward to press a kiss to Harry’s nose. “I know it is, darling. And you shouldn’t have to work so hard when you’re pregnant,” he says, which makes Harry smile. “I’ll book us a hotel for a few days. Sounds good, sweetcheeks?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiles, melting a little bit. “Sounds amazing,” he responds softly. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, angel,” Louis answers back. “Now go sit down, you look like you’re going to pass out. I’ll have mum make you something while I talk to the rugrats.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“K,” Harry mumbles, heading over towards the couch with a smile. He really was truely, madly, deeply in love with that man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was very relieved that Louis booked them a hotel for that night. The day hadn’t gotten much better after the whole morning fiasco. It seemed like the entire house was busy and stressed out, probably from having so many wild kids around that was getting on everyone’s nerves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gemma and Harry had been especially snapping with each other, which was to be expected. Anne always talked about how the two of them were as thick as thieves, doing everything together, which was true. But she often forgot to talk about how often the two of them fought with each other while they were kids. Fights like over who got to pick the movie. Fights about Harry pulling Gemma’s hair. Fights about how Harry couldn’t hang out with Gemma and her friends. All kinds of sibling fights. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like they had bounced back to living together again. One moment they are the epitome of loving siblings, and the next they are going head-to-head on everything. And considering how close they had been over the past few days and how sweet their bond had been, it was only a matter of time before they snapped at each other. And that moment came that day when they both seemed to be at wit’s end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What had happened was Drew and Robbie had started fighting about who got to go on which swing. What could have easily been solved simply by telling the kids to take turns had ended up with their parents both livid when Drew pushed Robbie face down in the mud. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Be a better example,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry had said, his eyes narrowed at his sister. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Be a better parent,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Gemma snapped back with an equal amount of fire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing that happened was that Anne had decided to cook supper instead of Jay. She had decided to make a roast, which had been her favourite when she was a little girl. However, the supper ended with Harry jumping from the table halfway through in order to puke in the kitchen sink. Doris decided it was a good time for her to puke as well, which then triggered Phoebe to spit out her food with a bit of bile. What started as a lovely offer from Anne had turned into a puking party. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The final straw for Harry had been when he had been watching a movie with all of the kids, keeping them entertained for a few minutes while the parents took a small break. They were watching some Disney movie that Harry had seen millions of times before and couldn’t focus on. So he closed his eyes to take a nap. He had been so close to sleep when Ernst slapped him in the face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not watching,” he huffed with narrowed eyes. Harry wanted to cry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, when night was finally getting closer, he was anxious to get to the hotel. He practically shoved Louis up the stairs to get their bags once it hit 7 o’clock. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was tired and he was upset and he was about to pass out. His feet hurt and so did his ribcage. He wanted to cry and sleep, or both. He just wanted to get out of the house for a small break or else he was half convinced he was going to have a meltdown. He loved his family, he did. But he was too exhausted and just needed an out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis came downstairs, holding two bags in his hands. “Alright, love. Ready to go,” he said as he headed down the stairs and placed the bags next to the door. “Ready, Haz?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so ready,” Harry sighed, rubbing his head. “I think I’m going to pass out once I lay on the hotel bed. Either that or just cry from relief.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis chuckled, wrapping an arm around his waist and nosing his hair. “Sounds really sexy,” he said with a smile. Harry even cracked a smile despite himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you so much, Lou. I don’t know what I was going to do if you didn’t do this for me,” the twenty five year old said, running his hands through Louis’ hair. His boyfriend just hummed. “It’s been so hard and you’re so amazing. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, sweetheart,” Louis said, kissing his cheek. “You’re carrying our baby for me. For the second time. The very least I could do was support you and make it as easy as possible for you. After all you have to put up with, I’m more than happy to book you a hotel anytime.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry smiled, leaning his head back. “You’re the best boyfriend ever, Lou.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The best boyfriend ever would give you a foot rub once we get to the hotel,” Louis commented into his boyfriend’s ear. “Would you like me to do that, Hazza? Give you a nice, long foot rub?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry almost moaned. “Please,” he said with a sigh. “That’s maybe the sexiest thing you’ve ever said in your entire life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis let out a breathy laugh at that, kissing Harry gently on the lips. “If you think that’s sexy, I’m excited for the hotel,” he said with a wide smile. He then lowered his voice into a seductive voice. “Foot rub and a bubble bath,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Harry actually did moan before clapping a hand over his mouth, which made Louis laugh out loud. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A couple heads popped up in front of them. “You’re going away?” Robbie asked, cocking his head to the side as he jutted out his bottom lip. “Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stopped moaning and looked over at Louis. “We’re just going away for the night, baby,” Harry said gently, bending forward and wincing when he felt it in his back. “But we’re coming back tomorrow. It’s just for a little break for your papa and I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A break? From us?” Allie pressed, a frown tugging her lips downwards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes,’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought automatically. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not from you. Just from a very busy house. We just need a night for just your papa and I to relax for a little while. But it’s not from you, I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He expected a bigger fight. A year ago would have been a different story, when it was just him and the kids. They would have put up a fight if he tried to leave them even for one night. Which was why he was surprised when Robbie nodded. “Okay,” the boy said with a shrug. “Bye.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked, doing a double take. “Bye?” He repeated incredulously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye,” Allie confirmed, giving them a wave. “Have fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The singer looked between the kids, his eyes wide. “You’re… you’re okay with this?” He asked, blinking a few times. “Just like that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie shrugged. “You’re coming back tomorrow, right?” He asked. Harry nodded. He smiled. “Yeah, bye. We have fun here with everyone. It’s okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Harry said, surprised, straightening up again. “Well, bye then. Call me if something happens. Have fun tonight, I guess…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis wrapped his arm around Harry’s waist, pulling him into his side. “Bye little loves!” He said to the twins, smiling at the both of them. “We’re gonna be back before you know it! And if something happens or you want us to come home, tell Nan or Grandma and have them call us. Otherwise, have loads and loads of fun here, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins beamed at him in unison. “We will!” Robbie chirped. “Bye daddy! Bye papa!” Then the two of them were off again, probably running off to find someone to play with. They could never stay busy doing one thing for very long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked while they ran off, seeming to be in shock. “That was… weird,” he mumbled to himself, staring at the place where his kids had been previously standing. “They were okay with me leaving?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re growing up, darling. It happens,” Louis said to him with a peck. “Freddie, come here and say goodbye!” He called. Freddie then walked over to them, looking unimpressed. Louis smiled at him. “We’re heading out now bud, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“K,” Freddie answered, crossing his arms over his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis frowned. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye?” He pressed, his brows creasing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Freddie pressed his lips together, looking at Louis. “Bye dad,” he said, not even looking at Harry for a second. He hadn’t made a move to talk to Harry ever since the first day, let alone look at him. But it hadn’t been this obvious until now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis noticed it too. “Say goodbye to Harry too,” he said to his son, raising his eyebrows. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Freddie didn’t look at him. “No,” he said tightly, narrowing his eyes at Louis. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ arm went tight from where it was wrapped around his boyfriend. “Freddie,” he warned, narrowing his own eyes. “Don’t be rude. Say goodbye to Harry. We aren’t going to be back until the morning, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” the nine year old said, pursing his lips. “He could stay away longer and I wouldn’t care. He doesn’t need to come back at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s jaw dropped. Louis’ eyes flashed. “Freddie Tomlinson!” He snapped, a terrifying expression falling over his features. “How dare you say that? Apologize now!” Harry meanwhile was just in shock. He knew he and Freddie hadn’t been hitting it off since he and Louis got together, but he assumed they were fine now. Apparently not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Freddie didn’t move, which was brave. Anyone else would have cracked under the look Louis was giving him. “No,” he responded. “I’m not apologizing because I’m not sorry. I meant it. I don’t want Harry to come back here!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Freddie!” Louis admonished, narrowing his eyes. “What’s gotten into you? You don’t usually act like this, and I’m not going to let you talk about Harry like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can talk about Harry however I want!” Freddie roared, his small hands clenching into fists. “I hate him! He’s not part of our family! I’m your family! Not Allie or Robbie or that stupid baby everyone keeps talking about! I hate them all!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s heart was hammering inside of his chest as the small boy started screaming. He didn’t know what to think. It was like Freddie’s words were knocking straight through him. The rest of the house was silent, everyone listening to the nine year old’s words. Somewhere in the distance, Robbie started crying. Louis had a tight expression on his face as he dropped to his knees at his son’s level. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes they are family, Freddie. Allie and Robbie are my kids too and they are your siblings. And Harry is my boyfriend. They are just as much my family as you are,” he said to the nine year old, his face tight. “And you do NOT get to scream at them like this. You are going to be grounded and then you are going to say you are sorry and that you didn’t mean it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Freddie didn’t wilt. “I do mean it!” He shouted, throwing his hands up. “I mean it! I hate them! All they did was ruin my family and ruin my life! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ face was tight and turning a little bit red from the effort of not screaming at his son. Harry could feel the tension radiating off of him and he also dropped to his knees beside the two of them. “Freddie,” he said calmly. “We’re not trying to ruin your family. Do you maybe want to calm down and talk to us about it instead of yelling?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not the right move. Freddie’s already pink face, reddened several shades. “NO!” He screamed, taking a few steps over towards Harry. “I don’t want to talk to you! I don’t want to look at you! I want you to go home and leave my dad alone! I hate you and I wish I never met you!” He took a few big steps before reaching to shove Harry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis grabbed Freddie by the back of his shirt and yanked him away. “No!” He snapped at the boy, glaring at him and making Freddie shrink back. “You do NOT get to shove people when you’re mad. Especially Harry. You could have hurt him, or worse, you could have hurt the baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care!” Freddie yelled, yanking himself from Louis’ hold. “I don’t care about the stupid baby! I wish Harry and the baby would go away!” He struggled in Louis’ hold, but Louis wasn’t letting go easily. Meanwhile, Harry felt like he was winded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Freddie-” started Louis. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re just going to replace me again!” The boy screamed, thrashing around in his father’s hold. For the first time, Harry thought he could see tears in Freddie’s eyes. “You replaced me with Harry and then with Allie and Robbie, and now you’re going to replace me with a new baby! You never have time for me anymore! They ruined our family and I hate them!” He cried. Louis blinked, seemingly stunned by the boy’s words. It gave Freddie a chance to rip himself from Louis’ hold and run upstairs before anyone could stop him. It was followed a few seconds later by the sound of a door slamming. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was stunned. He felt like he couldn’t move. He had not expected Freddie to think of him and the twins like that- he thought that the boy liked having siblings. But the words that came out of his mouth hadn’t been lies, they were too emotional for that. He felt too shocked to move. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. “Shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he pushed himself to his feet. “Fuck.” Harry felt the same way. “I had no idea…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“God,” Harry said to himself, struggling to his feet again without any help from Louis. “I’m so sorry, Lou. I didn’t know he felt like that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t. I didn’t know either,” Louis assured him, but he wouldn’t look Harry in the eyes. “Listen, Haz. I don’t think the hotel is going to work out tonight. I have to go see Freddie…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded immediately. “Yeah, of course. You go,” he said, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. “I should go see Robbie too, I think I can hear him crying in the other room. Maybe another night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Louis said. Then he was hurrying up the stairs where Freddie had previously run up. Harry watches him go, chewing on his bottom lip and trying not to let the words get to him. It’s hard though when he’s already so emotional and the thought of their little family falling apart was one of his worst fears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s on his way over to comfort Robbie when all of a sudden a braxton hick cramps his stomach at that very moment, making him gasp in pain. Yes, this was definitely a horrible day. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you would think that being in lockdown would give me more time to write wouldn’t you? sadly my teachers have decided to give us a crap ton of homework instead :/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The ride home from Doncaster was even worse than on the way there. This time, instead of it being loud and crazy, it was dead silent. There was no teasing and laughing and singing. Instead it was tense, dead silence. And it was horrible. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing had been the same since the fight with Freddie. The twins were quiet and less vibrant, and had been that way ever since Freddie’s rampage. Harry guessed it was because they had overheard Freddie say that he hated them and wished they would go away and never come back. It was either that or they could feel the tension radiating off of everyone else and was letting it affect them too. Either way, his twins were dulled down and sad, and that upset Harry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As for Freddie, all he wanted to talk about was going home. Going home to Briana, was what he actually meant. Other than complaining about them and talking about Briana, he had yet to say very much. The only time he talked was to Louis, never anything to Harry or the twins or the rest of the family. Even then, he only spoke to Louis when it was necessary. He also had not apologized once to any of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was killing Louis on the inside, and Harry could tell. He knew his boyfriend well enough to see that having Freddie so angry and distraught was eating him up from the inside. He had gone from yelling at Freddie, to speaking softly to him, to practically begging him to speak. He wasn’t even trying to make his son apologize at this point, just more focused on getting him to say anything so that he knew he was okay. Louis also hadn’t shown much interest in anyone else. For the past few nights, Harry had been sleeping in either Allie or Robbie’s bed because Louis had insisted on sharing their bed with Freddie. He didn’t show any interest in spending time with the twins, with the family he had driven up to see, or even Harry. His only focus was on Freddie 24/7. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was… not upset. He wasn’t angry at Louis to want his kid to be okay. He wanted Freddie to be okay too. After what he saw that night, it was obvious that the little boy was going through something and needed his father. He needed special care right now and he needed to know that he could talk to someone. That wasn’t the issue in his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The issue was Louis was taking it out on him. Louis didn’t talk to him, didn’t share a bed with him, didn’t include him in any of the talks with Freddie. He barely even looked at Harry. There were no more foot rubs, kisses, hugs or cuddles between the two of them. It was like he didn’t even notice Harry anymore. That was the upsetting part. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry understood that Freddie needed some extra love right now. But that didn’t give Louis the right to ignore the rest of his family. He had flat out shot both Allie and Robbie down on multiple occasions whenever they asked him to do something, even if it was just to spend ten minutes with them. It was obvious that that upset his kids even more than being ignored himself did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Freddie needed love, but he didn’t need coddling. He didn’t need to sleep in a bed with Louis every night. He didn’t need to cry whenever Louis would check up on a puking Harry. He didn’t need to scream whenever Louis said something to one of his other kids. He needed to know that he was still loved, but he did not need to claim Louis for himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was exactly what he was doing. Just like that, it was like they were two separate families again. Louis and Freddie, and then Harry and the twins. There was a divide. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were driving in the very tense car, Harry in the passenger seat with Louis driving. Allie and Robbie were both sharing the very back, leaving the middle row all to Freddie. They were listening to some crappy, auto-tuned song on the radio and it was hurting Harry’s ears. Without thinking, he switched to the next channel, which just so happened to be playing Sweet Creature. He smiled, leaning back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was nice, until Freddie spoke up. “Hey, I liked that channel!” He exclaimed angrily, kicking the back of Harry’s seat. “Turn it back! I don’t like this one!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis changed it back to the other song. It was loud and pumpy and obviously a trash song that the radio had thrown together in ten minutes. Freddie stopped kicking his seat and went back to playing on his iPad. The music blared through the car’s speakers, giving Harry a headache all over again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry turned to look at Louis with a creased brow. “We’ve been listening to this channel for the past hour and a half,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “That was my song.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’ve heard it millions of times,” Louis said, raising his eyebrow at his boyfriend. “You’re not a child, Harry. You can live with listening to this channel instead of your own music.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry narrowed his eyes. “I wrote it about you, jackass,” he hissed so that the kids couldn’t hear. He leaned back, settling into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“I’ve</span> <span>heard it a million times too,” Louis stated, keeping his eyes on the road. Harry looked out the car window, feeling his eyes start to burn as moisture gathered in the corners of his eyes. He refused to let Louis see him cry. After all, he doesn’t give two shits about the song Harry wrote for him even during their breakup, so why would he care that he was upset now?</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back, just to see Freddie on his iPad, with earphones in his ears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were driving towards Louis’ house, which was where the entire family was staying. Freddie was also staying with them for a few more days, because Briana was currently half way across the world on a vacation with her friends. Freddie was not happy to hear that news as they all got out of the car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Freddie grabbed his backpack with his stuff, and marched up to the doorway. As he was walking past the twins, he glared at them. “I can’t wait to go home,” he said to them, narrowing his eyes, before stalking up the driveway. Robbie’s lower lip trembled dangerously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis was walking back to the trunk when Harry grabbed his arm. “Hey,” he said with a small frown. “You should try talking to Freddie again. I know he’s not usually this mean, especially towards the twins. I think he might really be going through something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis frowned. “What do you think I’ve been doing?” He snapped, his brows joining together in the middle of his forehead. “All i’ve been doing for the past few days has been trying to talk to him, but he doesn’t want to. And I won’t make him. He’s my kid, not yours, Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pressed his lips together, dropping his hand from where it had been holding onto Louis’. “I know he’s not my kid, but he’s pretty close to it,” he commented, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m just trying to look out for him here. I want what’s best for him too, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you know that he isn’t your kid, then stop trying to parent him, Harry,” Louis said, pulling himself away from the younger man. His face was tight. “Stop trying to tell me how to parent my own kid.” With that, he walked over to the trunk and grabbed his own bags, before following Freddie inside the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry watched his boyfriend walk off, before sighing to himself. He walked over to his trunk, seeing that his bags were all still in the car. He rifled through them until he found the lightest one, knowing that he really shouldn’t be carrying anything since he’s a high risk pregnancy. So he grabbed the one bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed back around the car to see his own kids still standing there. Allie looked confused and lost while Robbie seemed to be on the brink of tears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked over to them, bending forward to cup Robbie’s cheeks and kiss a stray tear from them. “I’m sorry he said that, baby,” he said softly to them, grabbing Allie’s hand and tugging her close as well. “You know Freddie doesn’t mean it. He loves you. He’s just going through a hard time right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie looked up at him with glassy eyes. It broke Harry’s heart. He knew all too well what it was like to have someone you look up to and care about say hurtful things to you. “When’s he gonna be back to normal?” The five year old asked, his lip trembling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pressed his lips together and brushed the tears off of his face. “I don’t know, darling. But he’ll be back to normal soon. Right now we just need to give him some space and brush it off, kay?” The two kids nodded sadly. Harry smiled at them, grabbing both of their hands. “Now let’s go inside. I’ll read you both a story before bedtime, sound good?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked in to see that Freddie was nowhere to be seen and Louis was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He looked like he was talking to himself. He also looked very stressed out. Almost as stressed out as he looked that night he demanded they go on a break just a few short weeks ago. Harry frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey lovelies, can you please go get your pajamas on for me? I’ll be up soon to tuck you in,” he said to the two little kids, patting them on the backs. They both nodded, albeit hesitantly, before climbing up the stairs with their backpacks. Harry watched them go until they’re in their rooms, before turning around to see his stressed out boyfriend. He knew he and Louis weren’t really in a fantastic place at the moment, but he was still his boyfriend and he was going to be there for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry walked over to the couch, taking a seat beside Louis. He reached his hand over hesitantly to rest on his knee. “Hey,” he said softly so that he doesn’t upset Louis. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Louis huffed, but didn’t move his knee. “Of course I’m not okay, H,” he grumbled. “My kid hates you and the twins. He doesn’t talk to me and when he does it’s to ask when he can go to Bri’s house again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Harry said, tilting his head to the side. “He might just need some time to cool off and clear his head. Maybe going over to Briana’s is going to be a good thing for him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis’ head snapped up at that, his eyes narrowing. “No,” he said tightly, a frown pulling at his lips. “Of course not. Going to another parent’s house is not going to make this better. The reason he’s upset is because he has a broken family that keeps getting more and more screwed up. Leaving me to go to his mum’s is NOT going to make any of this better. Everything is fucked up thanks to-” He cuts himself off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stiffened. “Thanks to me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Louis doesn’t answer, looking away again. “Is that what you were going to say? Thanks to me? Or thanks to my kids? Or is it thanks to our baby that it’s fucking up your life?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis doesn’t deny it. “It’s just hard for him,” he said under his breath. “This is all new territory for him-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. Because Allie and Robbie have gone through this exact scenario tons of times,” the twenty five year old commented, snorting. “I get that it’s hard for him, but it’s hard for everyone. He can’t just expect life to go how he wants it to just because his parents aren’t together. That’s not how life works.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis groaned loudly. “Would you shut up for one moment, Harry?” He snaps suddenly, his head snapping up to look at the younger man, glaring. “Stop playing therapist and trying to tell me how my kid should feel. He’s upset and I’m doing everything I can to make that better. Does that mean spending more time with him, sure, maybe it does!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that!” Harry exclaimed. He didn’t want to yell, he really didn’t. He hated yelling so much because it never helped any situation, just escalated it. “He can have extra attention! But, hello! I don’t know if you remember me or not, but I’m your boyfriend. And those are our kids that you haven’t spoken to in days. You can give Freddie more attention, but not at the expense of us!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing has ever been at the expense of you,” Louis snapped, narrowing his eyes at Harry as his body straightens up. “All I’ve ever done for months has all been for you! I spend most of my time taking care of YOU and even less time actually taking care of my CHILD!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So it’s not the twins- it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Harry says, scoffing. “I never asked you to stop spending time with Freddie! You have to share your time with him because, guess what! That’s what having multiple kids is like. They’re not the centre of attention all of the time, Louis!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is all new to him-” Started the older man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is all new to all of us!” Harry practically yelled. “None of us were ready for this! I sure as hell know I wasn’t ready for this! We’re all trying to cope here, but Freddie is the only one saying death threats!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. “Death threats!?” He repeated, his eyes narrowing into a death glare. “Freddie is NINE! He hasn’t been giving death threats to anyone, asshole!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s jaw tightened as he pushed himself to his feet as well, narrowing his eyes. He only struggles a little bit on the way up, his large 29-week-bump getting in the way. “Do you know how many times he’s tried to kick me  in the stomach this week? Four times, Louis! And you don’t seem to care!” He shouts, his fists clenching. “You don’t care that he hurts me and the twins because all your attention is only ever on him!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I care!” Louis snaps, taking a small, threatening step forward. “All I’ve ever done is pay attention to you. I rub your feet and cuddle you and treat you like YOU’RE the child, rather than my OWN kid! The thing that set Freddie off was me leaving to take YOU to a hotel because YOU didn’t want to stay at my family’s house anymore!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m pregnant! I’m pregnant with your baby, Louis!” Harry shouted, stomping a foot onto the ground. “This is hard enough on your own and I need help! I’m constantly on the verge of a breakdown and you’re SUPPOSED to help me! You’re my boyfriend and you’re supposed to take care of me and give me attention! I didn’t get back together with you and decided to have this baby because I wanted to do it on my own! I need your help too!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well if I had been aware that I was going to have to pick between my boyfriend and my kid, then maybe I wouldn’t have-!” Louis shouts, before cutting himself off suddenly. His mouth snaps shut instantly, leaving him heaving with angry breaths. But the damage was already done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry pressed his lips tightly together, feeling the tears start to gather in his eyes, but he wouldn’t let them fall. “You wouldn’t have what?” He snapped with venom, narrowing his reddened eyes. “You wouldn’t have what, Louis!? Thrown yourself back into my life?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I wouldn’t have jumped in without thinking it through,” The Doncaster finished, huffing out an exhale. “Maybe I would have stopped and thought about how different we now are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s heart dropped to his stomach. His eyes burned. “Maybe you should have,” he said, his voice choked up. There was a giant lump that had settled in his throat as he swallowed thickly. “Maybe you should have stopped and thought about what you really wanted instead of just taking it because you could.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t want to pick between you and Freddie,” Louis said, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I was never going to make you,” Harry responded, biting into the inside of his cheek. His voice was emotional but filled with venom. “But you’re not leaving me any choice. None of us matter to you compared to Freddie. It’s like your other children, that’s right, </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>children, never mattered to you. You’re never going to love them like you love Freddie and I can see that now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis just narrowed his eyes, making no move to step any closer. “He’s my family,” he answered back, keeping himself firmly planted on his ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry inhales shakily as his heart cracks inside of his chest. “I thought we were too,” he said, his voice breaking. It’s getting harder to breathe in here. All he can look at his Louis- </span>
  <em>
    <span>his Louis- </span>
  </em>
  <span>as his heart breaks piece by piece. “M-maybe this was a mistake,” he whispers to himself, his mind going back to it’s dark place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Louis doesn’t even falter, his own eyes cold and emotionless. “Maybe it was,” he responds cooly. Harry feels his heart then shatter completely. He doesn’t even feel the tears start to drip down his cheeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s too late for it to be a mistake, Tomlinson,” Harry snaps, feeling the hot stream of tears drip down his face. One of his hands unconsciously touched his belly. Louis’ eyes finally stopped glaring at him long enough to flicker down to his hand for a second. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twenty five year old then spins on his heel and practically jogs out of the room, leaving Louis standing in there alone. He nearly ran into the three kids on the way out, who were all looking at him with parted mouths and wide eyes. They looked four shades paler, having heard the entire thing. Even Freddie has looked like he’s seen a ghost. Harry walked straight over to his kids and grabbed them both by the hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, babies,” Harry choked out, pulling the two of them towards the door without looking back. “We’re going home.” Both the twins stumbled behind him, confusion and nervousness written over their features as Harry tugged them over to the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was grasping the door handle when Louis ran into the entryway. “Harry!” He called, a frown tugging his stoic face downwards as he marched into the room. “Where the hell are you going!?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Away from here!” Harry cried back, grabbing the door handle and wrenching it open. He then grabbed his kids’ hands and then yanked them out of the door. He then slammed it closed without looking back and practically ran down the stairs of the porch. He could barely see, tears flooding his eyes and making everything a blurred mess. He couldn’t breathe either, a panic attack creeping up on him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made it down the steps, before sitting on the last one and letting the tears fall. He gasped, his hands dropping down to cradle his stomach, feeling wave after wave of fear and panic wash over himself. He couldn’t hold it back anymore as cries and sputters wracked his body, tears streaming down his face. Allie and Robbie both exchanged terrified looks, sitting down next to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Robbie sniffled, reaching over to hold Harry’s hand. “It’s okay, daddy,” he whispered, his own lip trembling as well as tears gathered in his own eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allie nodded, looking scared and pale, as she took Harry’s other hand and pressed a small kiss to his palm. “You want a hug, daddy?” She asked softly, her green eyes wide with worry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded. “Yes, Allie, I do want a hug,” he gasped, trying to contain his cries. Allie nodded and stood up, wrapping both of her small arms around Harry’s neck and hugging. Robbie hurried to his feet as well, doing the same thing on the other side. Harry couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped his mouth as he wrapped his arms around his two little kids. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of their group hug, Harry broke it up with a kiss to both of their foreheads. He had managed to get ahold of himself enough now so that he wasn’t on the verge of another attack. “Come on,” he whispered to his kids, looking at their tear stained faces. “We’re going to uncle Niall’s.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as the kids were asleep in Niall’s spare bedroom, Harry let himself sob. Niall swore loudly, before surging forwards to catch his best friend as his knees gave out. “Hey, hey, hey,” he said soothingly, catching Harry as he started sinking to the ground. “I got you, babe. Come on.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry clung to Niall’s shirt as he was practically carried over to the couch, sobbing wetly into his chest friend’s chest as he trembled. Niall carried him to the couch, set him down and then sat beside him, all while rubbing his back gently. “I hate him!” Harry sobbed brokenly. “I hate how he does this to me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, baby. I know,” Niall said gently, knowing all too well what it was like to be with Harry during one of these meltdowns. He had seen far too many for one lifetime. But he didn’t complain. He just sat there and rubbed Harry’s back and didn’t let him go. “Do you want to talk about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said that it was a mistake to get back together! He said that this baby was a mistake!” the younger cried, his body shaking with each sob that left his body. Harry shook his head into Niall’s chest. “I’m so stupid! I’m stupid to think that he would ever want to be with me! He’s going to choose his old life over this one every single time! He’ll never love me or Allie or Robbie or this baby the way he loves Freddie! He’s never going to love me at all!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Niall didn’t know what to say to that. As far as he knew, Harry and Louis were on cloud-nine and everything was finally going their way for once in their life. They were supposed to be happy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harry </span>
  </em>
  <span>was supposed to be happy. But obviously that wasn’t what was happening, and it broke Niall’s heart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he sat there that night, holding a sobbing Harry and doing his best to hold together the broken pieces of his best friend’s heart. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>you know the drill... let me know what you think!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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